


Bittersweet Homecoming

by elrond50



Series: The Left Fork in the Road [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, M/M, Model Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-11-21
Packaged: 2017-12-25 12:57:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek returns home after being sent away for his safety. Slowly he discovers that he missed the pack far more than he realized. He also finds the one thing he never thought he'd have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Derek stood in the foyer of his childhood home and it hit him all of sudden. The smells, scents of family, all at once. Head in his hands he sat on the steps of the staircase as waves of homesickness he’d never felt in his seven years of being gone hit all at once. How could he have stayed away? How could he not miss all of the comforts of home? Running in the woods and meeting that those guys fully woke up a part of him he didn’t realize was sleeping.

He didn’t know how much time passed sitting on the stairs, but the rumblings of his stomach made him aware that it had been hours since he’d eaten. ‘ _Last food I had was in New York last night,_ ’ he reminded himself.

No one knew he was coming so he decided it was time to shock his mom. He picked up the landline – who had a landline now – and called his mother’s office.

“Ben, if this is you then you are in trouble mister. I told you to call me from school if you had issues…”

“Mom, it’s not Ben.”

“…Derek…son, oh my, you’re at the house?!” Silence existed for a few heartbeats before, “Derek James Hale, why didn’t you call and let me know you were coming home? I could’ve picked you up and had your favorite dessert ready...”

Derek cut off the rant he feared would continue with a simple, “Surprise.”

“Oh…oh honey. Give me ten minutes and I’ll leave for the house.”

Derek got off the phone and went back to his room. He started to unpack…really unpack unlike his trips for his modelling career. He simply lived out of his luggage on those trips. This…this was home again and he was going to let his scent build back up here.

He was folding his shirts when he felt arms go around his waist and he was pulled into a strong hug. Letting the familiar warmth and love flow into him, he relaxed in his mother’s embrace. “Hi, mom.”

Talia Hale had tears in her eyes as she tightened her grip on her son. “This is a great surprise. I can hear your stomach, son. I brought lunch with me.”

Derek hooked his arm through his mom’s and headed to the table in the kitchen. He could smell something wonderful coming from the bags. “Is that from Molly’s?”

“I figure you haven’t had one of her bacon cheeseburgers in a long time. Though I shouldn’t since you are a model and have to keep your figure svelte now.” She gave her son a wink and took a deep breath. “I am so happy to see you. How long are you here?”

There was an anxious note to her voice which caught him for a second. “Well, I’m free for the next three weeks, but have a photo shoot in San Francisco for two days. I don’t have any major trips scheduled for the rest of the year. I’m here until you get sick of me.”

Her smile brightened. “This is your home, Derek. Now let’s eat and then you can go pick up sister and brother at school. By the way, that car…was it to make your sister seethe with jealousy?”

Derek leaned back and laughed. “Of course it is. She’s loves her Camaro so I figured I could one up her and I needed a ride anyway.” His brand new Audi S5 convertible was going to make her jealous. Seriously, who posted pictures of a car to Facebook with captions of ‘my baby’?

They chatted a bit over lunch before Talia glanced at her watch. “Cora and Ben get out of school soon. I’ll text them and tell them I’m picking them up. They’ll be so happy and that way Laura doesn’t have them hanging around causing issues.”

“Issues?” Derek asked as he picked up his wallet and keys.

“Cora is being a bit broody and Ben…well it’s tough being a freshman and he’s still a bit small for his age.” Talia gave Derek a hug. “Go shock them. I’d ask you to take pictures, but I have a feeling you won’t get the chance.”

Derek stood up and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek. Those feelings of homesickness returned. The ache was deep, but his mother’s hand on his cheek made them go away. “You need to hurry and you might want to change.”

He laughed and ran up the stairs to change. A fresh t-shirt and some better shorts and he was on his way.

* * *

 

For two years the route had been a daily excursion so it was easy for Derek to find the way. However, the flashing lights in his rearview mirror were a bit of change. He groaned when he realized just how fast he was going. “This is why I don’t drive.”

“License and registration.”

Derek pulled out everything and handed them to, his heart fell again, the sheriff. “Here you go, sir.”

The sheriff looked at them and noticed the New York Driver’s License. “Hale, you Talia’s boy?”

“Yes, sir, I got back today. Sorry, the car is brand new and I had no clue I was going fifty in a thirty. I didn’t drive much in New York…”

The sheriff started laughing. “Okay, I get it. Welcome back and I’ll let you off with a warning otherwise your mother will be in my office first thing tomorrow harassing me. Slow down.”

Derek smiled broadly. “Thank you. I guess I’m excited to go pick up my little sister and brother at school. They don’t know I’m here.” He was handed back his license and waved as the sheriff drove off. He got his breathing to calm down and headed towards the school, but paying attention to his speed.

Thankfully, he pulled up a few minutes before the school was dismissed. He got out of the car and leaned against the trunk to wait. He was dressed as a college student, but was thankful he still managed to look somewhat like a model. He had an image to try to maintain. He knew he needed a gym membership if his mother was going to start plying him with food. Werewolf or not, exercise was a must or he’d get pudgy and that was bad for his career.

The ringing bell made him flinch. Beacon Hills didn’t have the background noise of New York so that one loud sound stood out. He waited and watched as kids ran for buses, the streets, or their cars. A single heartbeat stood out among the hordes and it made Derek stand up straight. Slowly looking around he pinpointed the source and smirked a bit. He raised his hand to offer a little wave and was greeted with a totally dorky/goofy wave in return. “Hey Derek,” accompanied it.

“Hi, Stiles,” he offered in return. Any other attempt in conversation was broken by twin screeches as Cora and Ben spotted him. “Hey guys!” 

Getting tackled in the parking lot of the school wasn’t on his agenda, but he would not have given it up – ever. Cora was hugging him as hard as she could and Ben, his baby brother was plastered to his side. He slipped his arms around both of them and laughed as he hugged them tightly.

“Does mom know you’re here?” Cora demanded.

Derek rolled his eyes and looked down at Ben’s phone. She blushed and tightened her hug.

“How long are you here?” Ben asked. Derek ruffled his hair and noted that his voice was still a bit high. “You’ll be here for a bit right?”

“I’m here for three weeks and then I have a shoot. But, I’ll be here for most of the rest of the year including holidays.” Derek squeezed his siblings again.

“What is this?” Cora managed to say as she ran her hand over the car. “Is this yours?”

“Yup, picked it up this morning.” Derek grinned broadly.

“Laura is going to shit a brick,” giggled Ben.

“Oh My God, dorkface!”

Derek turned and frowned as Laura came out the doors. She pulled him into a hug. “Don’t call me that.”

“What? You were dorky Derek before you became a famous model.” She laughed until she looked at the car. “What the hell is that?”

“That is my brand new Audi S5 convertible. You like it?” He gave her a wicked grin. “I thought you had some club thing afterschool.” He eyed her suspiciously.

“I came out looking for mom, dorkface, but I find your stinky ass out here.” She winked again and sighed as she looked at her watch. “I do have a club to meet with, dorkface. You are so letting me drive that soon.”

“Not a chance in hell. Knowing you, you’d wrap it around a tree and blame me. No thanks.” He winked at her and motioned for Ben and Cora to get in. He noticed Stiles yelling at someone on the phone. He held up a hand to his siblings and walked over. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, hi, yeah, just Scott left school without telling me and I totally could have been gone by now. But he met this girl he claims is perfect and now they are getting coffee and we so had a Call of Duty date...not date date because he’s my best friend and all. And I really need to shut up right now.”

He couldn’t help it, but Derek started laughing. “Been to New York? That is about how fast a few of my friends talked. Sorry to bother you, but I heard the yelling…”

“Oh, he deserved it for blowing me off. Okay, well I’m leaving now that I know he’s not around and all. Bye!”

Derek walked back towards his car and the incredulous stares of his siblings. “What?”

Laura arched an eyebrow and fixed him with a stare. “And how do you Stiles to the point that his heart rate is far above his normal rate? And made him as nervous as he acts around one Lydia Martin?”

Derek shrugged and got into the car. “Later, butt-munch.” He drove away before Laura could say anything.

“How do you know Stiles?” Cora took up Laura’s line of questioning. “And don’t avoid the question because I can and will pin him to a locker tomorrow and ask him directly. Or Laura can pull him aside and make him talk.”

“I thought you were the sweet sister,” Derek commented.

“You have been away too long if you think that!” Ben snarked from the back. “You left me alone with them. Dad and Uncle Peter are no help.”  

Derek pulled up to a local coffee shop. He could do Starbuck’s if he need to, but he wanted to try this place first.

“Are you going answer me or do I have to get violent?” Cora demanded. “Why are we here?”

“I need caffeine. I slept on the plane, which was hours ago and if I’m going to deal with all of you and dad and Uncle Peter, plus who knows who mom has called then I need liquid fortification.” Derek pulled out his wallet. “You want anything?”

“Ben is not allowed to have coffee, it makes him hyper.” Cora smirked at the younger Hale. “So, Stiles…how do you know him?”

The door rang as more people entered. Derek turned and saw the other kid he met along with two women. He ordered his coffee, some for Cora, and hot chocolate for Ben.

“Hi, Derek, right?”

Derek turned and smiled at the goofy kid. “Hello again, Scott wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” the kid beamed. “Thanks again for your help. Saved me from dealing with my mom.”

“Not a problem.” He gave the kid another smile and turned to doctor his drink. He laughed as Cora and Ben argued over the sugar and vanilla powder.

“Now Scott, is that anyway to be a friend?” The older woman came over and offered her hand. “I’m Kate, and this is my niece Allison.”

“I’m Derek…”

“Oh, I know who you are. Any woman who reads a fashion magazine knows who you are. And I must say your pictures fail to do you justice.” There was a predatory gleam in her eyes that Derek was very familiar with from all the events he had to attend.

“Hi, I’m Cora and my wayward brother just got home so we need to take him back to the house so we can spoil him. And feed him, do you ever eat?” Cora pulled Derek away as Ben waved at the two women.

“You know Scott too; Stiles and Scott are attached at the hip!” Cora rolled her eyes. “Still, you didn’t look nearly as interested in him as you were Stiles.”

“I met them in the forest, nosey. Scott lost inhaler and I found it. I don’t know about being interested.”

Ben rolled his eyes in the backseat. “Big brother, that was a huge lie. Like, ‘Liar, liar, pants on Fire’ type of lie.” He giggled as he drank some of his chocolate. “You like Stiles.”

Cora shifted and glared at Derek. “Oh Laura is going to love this. Back one day and already someone has set your cold as ice heart a flutter. But really, Stiles? No one likes Stiles that way. Though given how much abuse Jackson heaps on him I’d wager he has a crush on the biggest geek in Beacon Hills, but no, no one likes that dork like that.”

Derek sighed, “Why did I come home?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek forgot what it was like to be around his family.

Chaos was not what Derek was expecting as he pulled up to the house. Ben and Cora jumped out and raced into the house. Derek tried to figure out if he could drive away without anyone seeing him. The entire pack had to be there, the scents overwhelming and comforting at the same time.

“Calm down, son, I can smell your panic from here.”

Derek turned around and smiled broadly. Alex Montgomery stood there and opened his arms wide. Derek moved into them and hugged his father as hard as he could. “Hey daddy.”

“Nice of you to come visit,” he winked at his oldest son and ruffled his hair like he did as a kid. “Your mom went a little overboard. Whole pack is here.”

Taking a step back, Derek looked at his dad and noticed he looked a bit older, but still had the same broad smile, sparkling green eyes, and his hair was a bit more salt-and-pepper. Derek was very much this man’s son. But he was a Hale and his mother was the alpha. Derek’s smile broadened when his dad’s younger brother, Sam, came walking up. Yup, he was definitely related. “Hi, Uncle Sam!”

“Come here you wayward pup!” They met in a crushing hug. “Been causing all kinds of mayhem back east haven’t ya? Given those Montgomery looks and Hale charm I’m sure your knee deep in girls…or boys in New York.”

Derek knew a fishing expedition when he heard one. The only one who knew anything about his love life was Laura and that was after one of her visits during his junior year at Columbia. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve only had the one boyfriend and he moved to Sydney.”

Sam and Alex exchanged looks and Alex pulled Derek back into a hug. “Enough dawdling, your mother is inside with Peter and Andrew. We’ll be talking again soon since your mother informed me you’re here for a few months. Don’t think you can escape pack stuff because you just got home.’ He winked at his son’s surprised expression. “Go on, I know Peter can’t wait to see you.”

Derek moved away from his dad and uncle. He made his way inside and was practically tackled. “Peter!”

“Derek!” Peter pulled Derek next to him and scent marked him. “You don’t smell like pack yet. Nice surprise though. Didn’t think my sister could get shocked any more, but you did it. Hell, she got Andrew to come over and he’s normally knee deep in research to come do anything.”

Pulling out of his uncle’s embrace he moved into the living room and smiled at his other uncle. Andrew Hale was cross between Peter and his mom. Brilliant, absent-minded, and a bit too pretty to call handsome, Andrew was a scientist. Derek launched himself at his uncle and hugged him fiercely. “Hi Uncle Andy.”

A deep growl came from the man as he returned the hug. “I told you not to call me that when you were six.”

“Yeah, well I haven’t seen you in over six years so I can call you that once.” Derek was yanked away by another set of hands. “Aunt Vivian! How are you?” Vivian Hale was his great aunt and surrogate grandmother.

“You adorable pup. Shame on you flashing your goods all over the world,” she said as he gave him a cheeky grin. “Though, as I told your mother, if they are willing to pay you to walk around in nothing, then more power to you. I hear you caused quite a stink with Laura already.”

Derek couldn’t help but laugh. “She earned it. After all the grief she gave me over David.”

Several laughs echoed in the house. Laura had been more than happy to tease and torment Derek once she found out he had an older boyfriend. Two of her visits to New York; she practically abducted David from Derek and made David tell her everything. He knew the family had been worried when they found out David was in his thirties and Derek was only twenty at the time. Then they had been equally worried when they found out the relationship was over after almost two years.

Vivian Hale patted Derek on his cheek and smiled. “Well you give her all the grief you want. You always were my favorite.” She pulled him close and dropped into a whisper only he could hear. “Though you need to spend lots of time with Ben. He needs you like you needed Peter growing up.”

Talia walked in and grabbed her son. “You come eat. Everyone else can fend for themselves.”

By the time Derek walked into his room it was after midnight. He was still on New York time which put his body clock at around 3:00am. His family couldn’t stop touching him. Laura practically had him glued to her side. And his mom, he almost cried seeing how happy she was with him in the house. Slowly he stripped down to his briefs and pulled the comforter over his head. The slight knock at his door got him up. He wasn’t shocked to hiss his little brother there.

“Can I sleep with you?”

The small sad voice broke everything Derek had. He picked up his baby brother, closed the door, and got in bed beside him. They quickly got comfortable. Derek again wondered how he didn’t miss this while he was away.

“I missed you so much. Phone calls, texting, and Skype can only do so much.”

Guilt wracked Derek as he pulled Ben closer. “I’m here now. Go to sleep. I’ll be here tomorrow as well.” The wet snuffles and warm tears on his chest made Derek break again. “I’m here Ben.”

* * *

 

Derek woke up when Ben got up to get ready for school. He made a promise to pick Ben after school since Cora already had plans. He didn’t miss the chaos of sharing a house with eight people all trying to get out of the house at once.

He was most grateful that someone left him enough coffee for one cup when he made it into the kitchen.

“Are you going to be this lazy all the time?”

Derek jumped and turned. He frowned at his mother. “Don’t do that! And no by now normally I would have had a run in and maybe a workout. I liked early classes since they were quiet.”

Talia frowned for a second and moved closely to Derek. Her eyes flashed red and Derek’s blue met hers automatically. She stared at him for awhile before moving back. “Huh. I need to talk to Alan. Go do your exercises that you plainly don’t need. You really are model perfect.”

Derek ran back upstairs and changed. He was going to find a gym this morning and see if he couldn’t work through some of the anxiety he was feeling suddenly.

* * *

 

The town had changed some since Derek had been away, but he was glad they still had a top notch gym near the town center. He knew he had time before picking up Ben and went into the gym to get signed up. Thankfully the paperwork took less than ten minutes and soon he was in his workout gear hitting the weights.

“Now this is a true pleasure!”

Derek hid his groan and looked up from his machine. He pulled his earbuds out and hit pause on his music. “Hello again.”

Kate moved across from him and smiled. “I thought you looked good before, but you all slick with sweat and bulging in the right places. You are enough to set any woman on fire.”

It took everything he had to keep from rolling his eyes. “Thanks for the compliment.” Neutral was order of the day. Some of the New York and Parisian barracudas he ran into during Fashion Week taught him the ropes well.

“So, you want to get a drink sometime?”

“That’s very nice of you, but while this isn’t common knowledge, I don’t swing that way.” Derek offered a shrug and hoped it would make Kate back off. He didn’t want to be rude.

“Oh honey, I could rock your world.” She moved closer and let her hand touch his.

Derek stood up and smiled again. “Well, I need to leave now. Have to pick up my siblings. Bye.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Twenty minutes later he was out of the building and next to his car. He looked around and frowned. He waved when he saw the sheriff leaving the café across the street.

“Keep the speed down now, Derek and we’ll all be happy.”

“Will do sir!”

Derek got in his car and headed towards the high school he heard his phone chime. He waited until he was in the parking lot and parked before looking at it. It was his mother’s number.

‘ _What is this about speeding?_ ’

Damned werewolf hearing when her office was in the damned town center.

‘ _Got pulled over yesterday heading to get C & B. Nice sheriff is scared of you and gave me a warning._’

‘ _Uh huh. You’re lucky he didn’t give you a ticket_.’

Derek climbed out of the car and leaned against it. He was prepared for the bell this time and watched as kids escaped as rapidly as they could for fear of being roped back in if they stayed too long. The one heartbeat he could hear out of all of them was as clear as day again. He smiled when Stiles waved. He was shocked when the kid started walking towards him.

“Hi Derek!”

“Stiles, how are you?”

“Scott told me you ran into him yesterday. So how is being back in town?”

Derek chuckled. “And how do you know about that?”

“I asked my dad about you. Said some guy in a flashy car picked up Cora and Ben Hale yesterday. He mentioned seeing you in a very expensive car.”

Butterflies fluttered inside his stomach as he listened to Stiles ramble. “So Call of Duty, huh?” He needed the subject change to distract from the weird feelings he was experiencing.

“Yeah! You play?”

“No, but I think Ben does and I need to spend some time with him.”

“I know Ben. I’m in Cora’s class and she scares me and so does Ms. Hale. What?”

Derek started laughing at the mention of Laura being called Ms. Hale. “Oh that’s perfect! Laura is officially old!”

Stiles gave him a long look. “I’m missing something.”

“Nope, just giving ammunition for a younger far more famous and wealthy brother to lord it over an older evil sibling that she is old!” Derek saw Ben come out of the school and gave him a tight hug. “Laura’s old.”

 Ben frowned and looked at Stiles. “What is he talking about? Of course she’s old. She’s twelve years older than me. Hi, Stiles.”

“Ben…you play Call of Duty? My so-called best friend keeps ditching me for his new girl friend. Derek doesn’t play.”

“Yeah, I usually play alone or with Max, but he’s too cool for me now that we’re in high school and he’s popular.”

The tone of dejection tugged on Derek again. He was happy when Stiles gave Ben his user name and told him to look for him some times. Derek gave Stiles a huge smile for that. “Okay, buddy time for us to go. I think we earned some ice cream.”

Derek couldn’t help but hear the increase of Stiles’ heart rate and change in his scent. He looked at his little brother and nodded. “You think Stiles can be bribed with ice cream to help me learn how to play so I can beat on you like a proper big brother?”

Ben eyes grew bigger and nodded. “Stiles, you want some ice cream…that is if you aren’t busy.”

“I am so not busy guys. I can always be bribed with food. Curly fries especially, they are mana from heaven.”

He wasn’t sure how it happened, but Derek found himself at the store buying all kinds of snacks and then driving over to the Stilinski household because it wasn’t going to be crowded with family. Ben was so excited.

Derek tried to play and kept dying, but the laughter from Ben made it worth it.

“Dude, you totally suck at this. You are lucky you’re so damn pretty though. Though I think your eyebrows speak their own language.” Stiles smiled widely.

Ben giggled, “Cora says that his eyebrows can render judgment all by themselves. Laura just says he’s lucky he’s got a big…package and great ass, the face is a bonus.”

“This is why my sisters are evil, especially Laura.”

Stiles laughed harder. “Well, you do really look good in underwear.” He blushed and cringed a bit. “I really need to learn to shut up.”

Ben hit Stiles with one of the cushion pillows and laughed. “No keep talking! It makes Derek blush almost as much as you are.”

The door opened and all three of the boys stopped laughing as the sheriff walked in. “Oh, hi dad! I…I invited Derek and Ben over so we could teach Derek how to play Call of Duty.”

John Stilinski nodded and smiled at Derek. “Well, better he be here than on the roads.”

Ben and Stiles laughed at the shocked expression on Derek’s face. “Sir, that was one time. I’m paying attention to my speed now.”

“Well at least you have that. The Whittemore kid just speeds and pays the increasing fines.”

More laughter echoed in the living room. Derek checked the time and stood up. “And on that note, it is time to go. Stiles, sheriff, thank you.” He pulled Ben up and smiled.

“Ben, I’ll be on after homework if you want to go blow things up.” Stiles grinned and walked them out.

After getting back on the road, Ben smiled and giggled again. “I think he likes you too. Though he really does like to talk.”

They pulled up to the house and Derek grinned broadly as Laura pulled up as well. “Hey there Ms. Hale.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t start with me, Dork. Don’t forget, I knew you before you became famous. And…I can totally tell Stiles all kinds of stories that will make you seem so uncool he’ll laugh when you’re around him.”

Derek stared at Cora who simply shrugged. “She’s far more devious than you. Besides, you still haven’t taken me shopping for my sixteenth birthday.”

“I sent you a gift card!”

“Laura took it!”

Derek stared at Laura. “Why did you take her gift card?”

“Oh please! I took it after she used part of it on ITunes to download dozens of angsty emo songs and then spent part of it on her noir phase in clothing.”

Cora rolled her eyes and stared at Derek. “I said take me shopping. You know all the designers! I want an actual shopping trip.”

Laura moved closely to them. “I think that’s a great idea. How about it Derek? Saturday we have a nice road trip all of us Hale siblings for some power shopping.”

Ben’s eyes widened and he shook his head begging Derek to decline.

“Fine, you’re buying lunch. Don’t worry Ben, it will be fine.”

“You really have been gone to long if you think shopping with them will be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many canon Hales that have never be addressed that it makes it difficult to deal with them. But, it makes for lots of fun trying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family continues to provide issues for Derek.

Derek was dressed for his morning run as the rest of the family prepared to head to work or school. He made sure to grab Ben in a bear hug before he left with Laura and Cora. “I’ll pick you and Cora up this afternoon.”

“No, Lydia and I have plans this afternoon. We’re taking the new girl, Allison, shopping.”

Derek smiled broadly. “So that means I’m off the hook this weekend?” He winked at Ben.

Cora scoffed. “No way! We are totally breaking out your credit cards this weekend.”

“Out all of you,” Talia ordered as she headed to her car. She gave Derek a kiss on the cheek. “You need a hobby so you aren’t bored all day.”

Laughter came from just outside the door. Laura yelled, “Hey, dorkface! Come by the school a little early today. I told Finstock all about you!”

“Oh dear,” Talia muttered.

“Who is Finstock?”

Ben picked up his backpack and headed out the door shaking his head. “He’s the insane Economics teacher and lacrosse coach.” He shuddered as he marched towards Laura’s car. “That’s mean making Derek meet Finstock,” he whispered.

“Eh, dorkface will survive.”

* * *

 

Hearing the UPS truck coming up the lane made Derek cut short his run. All his boxes were finally arriving. He was shocked to see Peter standing out front watching the driver get everything out.

“Thought you were at work?”

“I took the morning off. I’ll help you get that up to your room.”

Derek nodded and signed for the boxes and started moving them into the house. He had a total of twelve boxes and two trunks. He knew the first seven boxes were books and the rest were things he’d picked up over the years.

“I was going to comment the other night that you smell different.” Peter stacked two boxes on top of each other and carried them upstairs. “Talia is…worried is too strong, but concerned might be better.”

It was nothing for Derek to lift one of the steamer trunks on his shoulder and haul it up to his room.

“Did you ever go to class with a body like that? It would be unfair if you really did have a brain,” Peter snarked.

“Yes, I have History and Literature degrees along with my Creative Writing program completion.” He gave Peter a broad smile. “All gym expenses are tax deductible because they’re part of my job. Plus, I made time for it.”

“Yes, and caught a sugar-daddy while you were at it. Laura told us all about his apartment and how handsome he was.” Peter sneered as he headed back downstairs to get more boxes.

Derek took a deep breath and really felt at home now. Peter was goading him into losing his temper or just being an ass. Nothing he hadn’t been used to before he left. When he was younger it would have pissed him off, now Derek wanted to get a little bit back.

“Yeah, David was great. I miss him in many ways since he really showed me how to manage my life. And the apartment…well, he did give it to me and now is bringing in over twelve thousand a month in rental income.” Derek smirked when he heard Peter stumble. He walked into the room and winked at Peter. “Guess being so pretty did pay off some?”

Peter stared at him. “He gave you an apartment in New York City?”

“Of course. He helped me set up my stock portfolio and other investment accounts so I don’t have to chase after modeling contracts in my late twenties when it gets harder. My Spanish is perfect and my French is passable. He did that too.” He picked up the other steamer and took it upstairs. Getting under Peter’s skin never felt so good. “Oh,” he called back down the stairs, “Ask me some time about his graduation gift to me.” The answering growl made him chuckle.

* * *

 

Pulling up to the school with no time to spare, Derek vaulted out of his convertible and headed inside. He was dressed in his lacrosse gear, shorts and t-shirt, and headed to see the ‘crazy’ coach. He remembered where the locker room was and it was a straight shot from his parking spot.

“Who invited the pretty boy into the locker room? Yo, sunshine, you look too old to be in high school.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “My sister told me to come see you. I’m Derek, Laura Hale’s brother.”

“Who the hell is Laura Hale?” the wild haired coach turned to the team changing. “Greenberg, you know a Laura Hale?”

“She teaches here coach, Trig, Algebra, and Calculus.”

“No one asked you Whittemore. Go give me ten laps for being a smart ass!” He turned and looked Derek up and down. “You walk out of a magazine? Seriously going to give these boys an inferiority complex. We all know Whittemore pads his jock plenty as it is. That real what you’re swinging?”

Derek’s eyes shot up. “Are you crazy?”

Muffled laughs filled the locker room. “It’s a question, Dirk.”

“Derek.”

“Whatever.”

“Coach, he’s actually a model. Did Calvin Klein and Emporio Armani spreads, including underwear.”

The coach looked around. “Figures you’d know that Danny. Not that being gay means you should know that but whatever.” He moved over and patted Derek on the shoulder. “Okay, studmuffin what can you do?”

It took Derek a moment to process. “I played lacrosse and baseball in college.”

“Nice, why are you here?”

“Because my sister is evil and obviously thinks I need to be subjected to many different forms of torture.”

Finstock laughed. “Excellent. You’re hired. Torturing students is what we do best!”

* * *

 

If werewolves could get headaches, Derek knew he’d have four as he walked through the crowded halls heading for the parking lot. He was shocked when Stiles bumped into him.

“Hi! Sorry about that, still can’t walk on two feet.” Stiles frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“Pondering how anyone escapes high school sane.” Ben came running up and smiled. “Hi, little bro.”

Stiles frowned. “Okay, I get high school as a Darwinian issue, but why are you here?”

“Laura made him meet Finstock.”

Stiles’ face fell in horror. “She _is_ evil. The man is possessed by the devil. How he’s a teacher is beyond me. He once spent an entire economics class telling us why soccer was an invasion of American Cultural Supremacy. He had graphs!”

Ben smiled broadly at Stiles. “Hopefully I won’t have to take him until I’m a senior. You have him as a sophomore.” Stiles shoulder bumped Ben which quickly degenerated into a playful shoving match. “So what are we doing, Derek?”

“All my stuff from New York arrived. You want to help me go through it?”

Ben’s face lit up while Stiles’ fell. Ben motioned towards Stiles. Derek hid his smile. “Would you like to come over to the city-famous Hale House? You can be nosey and ask me all kinds of questions about New York. Hell, Finstock already crossed at least five lines.”

In a flash Stiles had his phone out. “Daddy-o, I’m heading to the Hale house to hang out for awhile. Ben and Derek invited me. Hold on.” He handed the phone to Derek. “He wants to talk to you.”

Derek lifted the phone to his ear. “Yes, sir?”

_“Now you did invite Stiles and he didn’t invite himself to tag along right_?”

“No, I ran into him at the school and invited him. He’ll be a big help since all my stuff just arrived from New York.” Derek nodded as he spoke. He handed the phone back to Stiles.

“Yes, I will dad. Okay, love you too. Yeah pick me up at six.” Stiles hung up and threw his arms around the Hale brothers. “Take me to your house in the woods.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “You really are strange.” He looked around and frowned. “Where is Betty?”

Stiles’ face fell. “She’s back in the shop. I’ll have to suffer riding in the back of a convertible. Whatever will I do?”

“Yup, strange,” Ben muttered.

* * *

 

“How much stuff did you collect while you were in New York?” Stiles asked as he opened another box. “How old are you?”

Ben giggled again, “He’s twenty-two, but will be twenty-three in two months. Stiles, can you do me a solid?”

A cautious look crossed the other teen’s face. “Maybe. You aren’t nearly as scary as your sisters.”

“Will you come shopping with us on Saturday? Cora and Laura are hell together at the mall. Derek has no idea what he’s in for.”

Derek stopped for a second and nodded. “Yes, great idea. Ben doesn’t know it but he’s getting a mini makeover. Sorry, but boxers are for old men. Revamping his underwear collection.” He eyed Stiles for a few moments while rubbing his chin. “Looks like you could use some help too.”

Both boys protested until Derek raised his hands to silence them. “I am the expert here. So, Stiles, you in for Saturday? Laura’s buying lunch.”

The front door slammed. A few moments later Cora peaked into Derek’s room. “Stiles! Hi, didn’t know you were here. Derek, Lydia is joining us on Saturday. Allison might join us as well.”

Rolling his eyes, Derek pulled out his phone and texted Laura. “Okay, Laura is taking the girls and I’ll drive the guys. We will leave at 9:30 so we can go to the big mall in Redding.”

Cora frowned, “Why two cars? We can fit five into one car.”

“Stiles is going,” Ben responded cheerfully.

“What?” Cora turned and glared at Derek. “This was a family outing!”

“You invited Lydia,” Derek pointed out. “And Ben would be bored without someone to talk to since you are demanding my expertise with designers. Who I will have you know can be a bunch of dirty old men who get handsy at times. Don’t get me started on what a few of the female designers wanted to do to me.”

Stiles started laughing. “Kept rearranging the goods for you there big guy?”

“Overly arranged and pissed that I got annoyed. Lucky for me, I sell underwear.”

“What are these?” Cora asked.

Derek pulled out what she spotted and blushed. There were three large framed print ads he’d done. They were gifts from David. “Some of my work that David had framed.”

Ben started laughing and elbowed Stiles. “You’re blushing,” he whispered.

One of them was of Derek leaning back against a wall with his hips arched out and the jeans slung low on his hips. His entire chest was on display and everything drew the eye to the barely covered crotch. Another was his torso coming out of a pool soaking wet with just the top of his swim trunks showing, allowing a hint of pubes to show. Both were black and white prints in heavy frames.

“No, I’m not.”

“That’s my brother!” Cora yelled. She gave Stiles a glare before continuing. “You better not bother Lydia when we go shopping!” She flounced out of the room.

“Ben, I owe you an apology. Cora is definitely giving Laura a run for her money when it comes to being an evil sister.” Derek sighed and went back to unpacking.

“Told ya!”

“OH MY GOD! You went to Comic Con!” Stiles sat down on Derek’s bed and stared at the lanyards from 2010 and 2011. “These are VIP passes! How…why?”

“David took me in 2010. I went this summer just because.”

Stiles slumped on the bed. “Really starting not to like this David guy,” he mumbled.

* * *

 

Even with all his travelling, it took time for Derek to adjust to time changes. Living in California again took his body clock just under a week to get normalized. A quick trip to the store allowed him to get everything he needed to make dinner. It was another thing David insisted that he learn; Derek was forced to learn to cook. And cook healthy instead of take-out or microwavable meals.

“What are you making?”

Derek whirled and frowned. “You love sneaking up on me! I’m making a pork loin, roasted veggies, and a rice dish.” He gave his mother a kiss. He noticed someone else and smiled. “Hello, Dr. Deaton.”

“Derek, been a long time. How are you?”

Unloading his grocery bags, Derek shrugged. “I don’t know. Living with Laura again is emotional torture. But, I’m good.”

Deaton’s gaze lingered on Derek for longer than was comfortable. “I’d like you to come to my office next week when you get a chance. It’s been years since I’ve examined you.”

Talia came over and gave Derek a kiss. “Dinner sounds like it will be wonderful. Looking forward to tomorrow?”

“Not even,” Derek muttered as he rolled his eyes. “Shopping with Laura and Cora really sounds like dental surgery.”

“That seems a bit extreme, Derek,” Deaton stated. “Though spending extended periods of time with Laura has made me question my life choices.”

“You two are incorrigible,” Talia stated. “I’m going to Molly’s and get a pie for dessert. Don’t forget to get Ben from school. Cora is going with Lydia to some event.”

Derek moved quickly to give his mother a hug. “If she has key lime pie would you…”

Talia started laughing and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Oh my son with his sweet tooth. How you keep your figure is beyond me?’ she patted his abs to prove her point.

“It’s all the time at the gym. I have a hobby!” he winked at her and headed back to unpacking the groceries.

“Oh, Alan, who knew that Derek would become a narcissist?”

Deaton shook his head at her. “Talia, he’s a model. That explains everything.”

* * *

 

Derek pulled up outside Stiles’ house and honked. Ben smiled as a bleary eyed Stiles stumbled out of his house.

“Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to get out of bed until after noon on a Saturday?” Stiles fell into the back seat and groaned appreciatively when Ben handed him a large cup of coffee. “I think I might love you!”

Ben giggled, “Well you should love Derek because he bought it.” He laughed as he saw Stiles blush bright red.   

“Sorry, I was up late arguing with Scott. He accused me of abandoning him today because I was going shopping instead of keeping him company since Allison is unavailable.” Stiles sighed and then groaned again. “Okay, you are a god to me now, Derek Hale. This is perfect!”

“If that is all it takes then you’re easy, Stiles,” Derek commented while giving the teen a wink in his rearview mirror.”

Ben laughed again as Stiles’ blush deepened.

They headed to the mall. Derek listened while Ben and Stiles chatted about anything and everything. Derek spotted Laura’s Camaro and parked next to it. Laura, Cora, Allison, and Lydia all stood next to the door. Laura waved and motioned for them to hurry up.

Derek clutched his wallet and shivered. “This is going to be bad isn’t it?”

“I warned you!” Ben stated grimly. “We can still escape!”

“Hurry your asses up!” Cora yelled. “You’re wasting time!”

Stiles slunk behind Derek. “Why am I here again?”

“Moral support.” Derek straightened up. “I’ve dealt with bitchy millionaires I can do this.”

“I think bitchy sisters are worse.” Ben grabbed Stiles and followed Derek. “This is going to be so bad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finstock is a trip.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping spree and things...

“And off we go,” muttered Stiles as they all headed into the first stop – Macy’s.

Derek finished texting and pointed to a spot for Stiles and Ben to get comfortable.  He touched his wallet in his pocket cringing at the damage that was going to be done. “I have four of my fashionista friends on stand-by. I’ve learned a few things in four years, but they _live_ this stuff. “ 

In the background he could hear Stiles and Ben arguing as they played Words with Friends. Derek meanwhile sipped his coffee and let Cora pick a variety of things before having her try them on.

“Rule one, just because it looks good on the rack doesn’t mean it looks good on you. Always make sure it not only fits, but actually does something for you.” Derek twirled his finger as Cora came out in one outfit and he shook his head. He could see Lydia’s frown deepen but he ignored her. Cora came out in a beautiful dress and he gave a tentative okay. “Now we take a picture and send it to Marco and Javier. They actually design some things. I have one of their suits in my closet.”

The beep back was quick.

‘ ** _Darling, she’s looks just like you…scowl and all. Solid start, but she needs a bit more color than you do – J’_**

**_‘Colorful accessories will make all the difference with that outfit – M’_ **

“Okay. You get a C on that one.” Derek turned and raked his eyes up and down Laura. “Are you getting anything?”

She glared back. “I don’t need your help to shop. I’ve been doing it since I was twelve.” She paused and then smiled, “But if you’re buying…”

They went through another three outfits before Derek stopped everything. “Okay, look. Look at my outfit.” Derek was in some tight dark jeans, a tight dark purple Henley, and some leather boots. He pointed to his wrist. “I’m wearing a thick leather-banded watch made from titanium. The belt buckle is titanium. My necklace is titanium. Everything on me is to draw your interest in subtle ways, but force you to look at my face. The dark color of my jeans hides the full outline or definition of my lower body. The Henley shows the shape of my upper body, but still pulls your attention up. Even though you can’t see them, my underwear also plays a role in the whole outfit.

“Fashion is about communication. If I wanted to draw attention elsewhere I could have worn my ‘come fuck me jeans’ that are faded to almost white with strategic rips. And gone commando to accent that. I don’t have tan lines.” The groan from Stiles almost made him smile, but he was in the moment. “The eye can’t find full purchase and is forced to where it can – my face.” 

He moved closer to Cora and motioned up and down with his hand. “Nothing you have on is trying to say anything clear. You aren’t standing up straight, there are no clean lines to draw the eye, and the colors don’t add anything they are just there.” Derek moved closer to Laura and frowned. “As much as I hate to admit it, Laura is very well put together for a casual ensemble. There is a touch of whimsy to go with a sense of power and professionalism.” She preened and he sneered at her.

“My brother does love me,” she smiled.

“Ugh. Anyway, see Lydia’s outfit is a disguise. The colors are vibrant, the accessories are nice, but none of it works with her hair or make-up. You see the clothes, but not the person.” Derek smiled at her while she narrowed her eyes at him. “So, find some clothes and I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

Derek listened as Lydia started in on his fashion sense. He rolled his eyes and he marched the guys over to the Men’s section. “First off, boxers are not sexy. Ever. If you want to feel sexy then you need to start from the underwear up. Which means Ben, if you like a pretty girl and want to ask her out how are you going to do it is you have on Spiderman boxers?”

Ben huffed but didn’t comment.

Stiles started to say something but Derek waved him off. “You can keep them for lounging around the house, but if you don’t like briefs then there are a variety of cuts available.”

The shades that Stiles’ face was turning made Derek chuckle. “Does talking underwear embarrass you?”

“No,” Stiles managed to garble out.

“And you,” Derek pointed at Ben. “We are upgrading everything. You may be growing, but that doesn’t mean you have to look like a lump of clothes.”  He moved past both teens and started grabbing various items. “You might not like briefs, so we’ll see how low cut trunks work.”

He caught Stiles looking at a thong and removed it from his hands. “You look like a lobster you’re so red from embarrassment, so no thongs. “

Fifteen minutes later he was standing outside the dressing room with his arms full of packages of new underwear. The grumbling from inside made him laugh as both Ben and Stiles fussed about too tight jeans or too tight shirts. ‘Stupid model with stupid body with stupid good looks making me wear stuff that shows everything.’ Ben’s giggling wasn’t helping much. “Hurry up in there! I have to get back before Cora decides to buy out the store!”

It was shocking how much a change of clothes made Ben stand out suddenly. He wasn’t hunched over. His thin frame needed to fill out, but Derek could see the man he was becoming in the teen before him. As for Stiles, he looked like he felt awkward, but the clothes highlighted his lanky frame and drew attention to his face and eyes. “Better, much better. Change back and we’ll go meet up with the girls. We have a good template to work off of.”

Derek didn’t wait for the guys as he headed over to where he’d left the ladies. Lydia was still going on about how little he knew about fashion.

“What does he know about makeup? He’s a guy. Does he know how long it takes me to fix my hair?”

“Well it takes me half an hour to get my hair perfect,” he said as he walked up. “More for a photo shoot. If you didn’t want an honest opinion you should’ve stayed home.”  He didn’t even bother looked at her as he walked over to Cora and rifled through some of her items. “Yes, no, yes, maybe, no, hell no, maybe, yes, yes, not in this lifetime, yes, ugh, and okay.”

Laura came over and laughed. “Some of those Cora really liked.”

“Which is why they are on the hell no list. Big Brother is back in town and I know the boys would _love_ to see her in this!” Derek smiled.

“You do not get to pull the overprotective sibling routine,” Laura scoffed. “That’s my job. They are scared of me, they aren’t scared of you. You’re too pretty.”

Derek scowled and Laura shrugged. Lydia walked over and planted herself in front of Derek. “Okay, Mr. Model, I want to see _you_ buy something.” She gave him a glare.

“Oh honey, I don’t buy off the rack. Next time you’re over I’ll let you see my closet. And I don’t buy underwear either, it’s in the contracts. Not that I need that many since I go commando half the time.”

Stiles groaned loudly that time and Ben fell over laughing. Laura bit down on her lip to keep from laughing as Stiles flailed around. Cora couldn’t contain her laughter. She leaned against Laura and tried to keep it as quiet as possible. Laura said softly to Derek, “You did that on purpose. Well done.”

He shrugged, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t,” Laura laughed while winking at him.

Lydia frowned, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” They both said at the same time. Laura rolled her eyes and started gathering clothes.

Allison walked up smiling. “What do you think of this?” She had a beautiful dress in her hands.

“Perfect for you,” Derek said while Lydia looked at the dress then Derek. She reached over and pulled it, and Allison, away.

“You really are needling, Lydia,” Cora commented dryly.

“Well she is your girlfriend so I have some right to get under her skin.” He gave her a wink.

Cora’s face contorted into many expressions in a matter of moments. Laura looked at Derek, then Cora, then back at Derek. “What?” was all Laura managed to get out.

“You didn’t know?” Derek stated smugly. “I thought you knew everything? I’ve been back a week and figured that out.”  

“Lydia’s dating Jackson!” Laura defended and then stared at Cora.

“Please, Jackson is a simpering tool. He’s got a little dick and thinks he’s God’s gift. Besides,” If looks could kill Derek would be dead. “Lyds and I aren’t dating.”

“Just fucking,” Derek huffed, “Come on we have at least five more stores to hit.”

The sales associate was stunned to see so many items and her eyes went wide as Stiles and Ben walked up from where they were sitting with more. “Late back to school buying?”

“No, big brother’s late birthday present and other things.” Derek pulled out his wallet and cringed as the total was reached. “Thank you, David!”

“Why are you thanking David?” Laura demanded. After the break-up she’d made her feelings on that matter well known.

“He taught me financial management 101. My poor credit cards!” He signed for everything and handed out bags. “Okay, where to next?”

* * *

 

“We’ve been doing this for four hours now,” Derek grumped at Cora and Laura. “You can go into Forever 21, but I’m taking them to Foot Locker.” He ignored the scent of their annoyance. Ben and Stiles were doing something with their phones, but he was too irritated with his female siblings to ask. “Come on, you need shoes.”

“I like my shoes,” Stiles picked up his feet and waved some ratty Converse All-Stars at him.

“The fact that I can smell them from here and they have a hole on the side is all I need to say.”

Ben giggled, but remained silent otherwise.

“These are perfect. They fit great.”

Derek rolled his eyes again. “They fit great six months ago. I bet you’ve grown since then. You need new shoes.”

“Fine!” Stiles put his phone away and marched towards the next store radiating irritation, discomfort, arousal, and confusion.

Ben handed Derek a few bags. “You can carry some of this stuff. Where am I going to put all of it?”

“Not on the floor,” Derek responded instantly. “Mom taught you how to do your own laundry yet?” The hemming and hawing told Derek everything he needed to know. “Most embarrassing thing ever was her commenting on my crusty sheets.” He hid his smile as Ben’s eyes went wide. “I’ll teach you. Some things a mom shouldn’t ever have visual evidence of.”

“Thank you, I don’t think that ever crossed my mind,” Ben managed to mumble out.

“Will you two lead-asses hurry up? Stiles is hungry!”

“We don’t talk to people who refer to themselves in the third person,” Derek countered instantly. He winked at Ben. “How many times has Scott texted him?”

“Like all day. It’s really codependent.” Ben smiled. “Why?”

“Next time he does, take his phone and tell him if he keeps it up then Scott will be subjected to Stiles modeling all his new clothes for him including underwear.”

Ben’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect and evil! You really are related to Laura!”

“In this family, you learn to defend yourself.”

* * *

 

After six excruciating hours, they all left the mall and went to a small Italian restaurant that Laura loved. “Pasta won’t kill you Derek. Live a little!”

“What do you think I eat in Venice or Milan?” He countered.

“You’re too thin, Der!” Laura dropped her voice so only he could hear her. “And your scent changed. We’re all worried.”

Suddenly being surrounded by family all the time was a huge change for him. It was pack, but he’d been practically alone for years. “How has my scent changed?”

“Mom and I worried a bit when you were with David, that’s when I noticed it. At your Graduation mom picked up on it a bit. But now we can tell, something changed your scent.” Her eyes narrowed, “And before you say it this was well after Paige.”

Everyone else was already seated and Derek motioned towards the door. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Lunch went well, but Derek was preoccupied for part of it. “You okay?” asked Ben at one point.

Derek reached over and ruffled Ben’s mop top. “Fine. You’ll be a hit on Monday.”

Lydia elbowed Cora and motioned to Derek. “I want to see just how extensive your clothing collection is.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “I take a picture and text it to you. You’re seriously put out that someone doesn’t think you know everything aren’t you?”

Her eyes flared and then narrowed. “Think what you want.”

Turning to his left he noticed Stiles looking back and forth between them with a frown on his face. Derek rolled his eyes again. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just no one ever talks to her like that. It’s weird.” Stiles rubbed the top of his buzzcut hair.

“I’m not in high school and I don’t have to deal with her drama.” Derek smiled as he sat back. He turned to Laura. “This is really good. I think I need to up my calories. Not eating as much as I used to. Need to get back to a routine.”

Laura paid for lunch and the guys piled into Derek’s car. Ben and Stiles continued their conversations while Derek drove. They dropped off Stiles and left after helping him unload his new wardrobe. Ben kept chattering but Derek only responded occasionally.

Once they were home Ben showed their mom everything he got and took off to play CoD with Stiles.

“Derek,” his mom called out.

“Yes,” he mumbled as he poured a glass of juice.

“I need you to go see Deaton on Monday morning. It’s been years since he’s checked you out.”

He could hear the alpha command in her voice. “Okay.” He walked by and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

Later that night he got up and went downstairs after getting lost in a book and music. He stopped at the top of the stairs when he overheard part of a conversation.

_“We need to be careful. Ennis has finally lost all control and is running loose. Talia, Alisha gave up her life to curse Gerard and create this peace. Ennis can destroy it.”_

_“Kali, I already know that Kate is sniffing around Derek. He doesn’t know anything about what happened after he left. If Ennis brings down tons of hunters I fear what will happen. But…Deaton will know if I have greater fears.”_

_“Talia, what?”_

_“Derek, he no longer smells like a wolf. He smells…different. Not bad, but different.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working in canon after breaking the timeline completely.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past comes to the present

The conversation Derek overheard played in his mind all day Sunday. The family was around for Sunday activities and early dinner, but Derek smiled and kept quiet. Three members of his family were concerned that his scent had changed, but none cared to share what their concerns were. For him it was so different being back in the pack. Years in New York essentially made him a loner in a crowd. His cousins in Texas called often and he talked to his family all the time, but it wasn’t the same as Ben had pointed out. He was here again with all the sounds and smells that accompanied family.

“You hiding out today?”

Derek looked up from his book and smiled at his dad. “No, just reading. Feels like I’ve been on the run for four years and now I get to catch my breath.”

Alex Montgomery gave him a long look and finally nodded his head. “Come on, pup. Come spar with me. Been years since I’ve seen what you can do. All those muscles should be able to do something.”

This was something he missed more than anything, playing with his family. “You’re on.”

They walked out into the field behind the house and both took off their shirts. Alex showed the gray in his chest hair of an older wolf. Derek was still smooth from his last wax job. Derek watched as his father shifted into his beta form. Derek took a moment and followed suit. His first lessons in Houston had been clear: power is excellent for attack, but evasion allows a wolf to work against himself. Speed and agility are allies; use them.

Derek moved left and then right evading his father’s open attack. Using his legs he jumped up and over his father and used his momentum to roll away and come back up in a crouched fighting stance. He let his father throw several attacks in a row without bothering to do anything but move out of the way. Sensing that he now had the advantage, he moved into his father’s body and threw an elbow into his solar plexus. He followed up with a kick down on the instep, flipped his father over his shoulder and threw his a few feet away.

A blur caught him and he ducked in time as his Uncle Sam moved in for the attack. Derek jumped up and hit his uncle with both feet pushing him back several feet. Claws came near his face as he moved just in time. He responded with a flurry of round house kicks that sent Laura backwards.

Sam moved in as Derek cleared Laura’s attack. He used his arms to hold off his uncle’s claws. Time was of the essence. He forced the issue and nailed his uncle with a backhand that sent him flying. He took Laura’s attack in the back and rolled with it. He launched forward and stopped right before she could spring her attack. Her failure to anticipate his change left her open to his counter and he swiped her legs out from under her. He could not go in for the ‘kill’ because he was tackle by his father before he could.

Derek rolled with his dad and managed to push him away. Sam was back and they traded blows. No longer was this about discipline or forms. It was now a street fight. His wolf roared inside and Derek unleashed it for the first time in ages. He became a flurry of blows, kicks, rolls, evasions, and claws. There were five fighting him now. Fire coursed through his veins. He moved left, right, up, down, and spun using their attacks against him to their disadvantage.

“ENOUGH!”

The roar of the alpha broke his momentum and concentration. Derek stopped and pulled his wolf back in. He looked at his family and frowned. Laura, Peter, Andrew, Sam, and his Dad were all in various states of recovery. He looked down and saw all the wounds he’d received and the sorry state of his jeans. He rolled his neck and frowned as he popped several joints back into place.

Derek watched as his mother approached. He lowered his eyes. “You didn’t fight like a wolf. You moved like a ghost. I knew you took mixed martial arts to channel your aggression when you were in Texas, but this…you played baseball and lacrosse at Columbia.”

He could hear the question in her voice. “I kept them up at the gym. New York is a cesspool of everything. It’s amazing and it’s dark. There was a gym where we could spar without people knowing we were special. David took me.”

The mention of that name made all the family members shift. Derek straightened up again. “I didn’t hurt anyone?”

Laura rolled her eyes. “You’ve never taken any of us in a fight. You had five of us off balance. How is that possible?”

Talia raised her hand. “We’ll know soon enough. Everyone clean up. Dinner is ready.”

Derek winced a bit when his dad slung an arm over his shoulders. “Damn boy, send you away and you come back all kinds of different. Haven’t had my ass kicked like that in ages. Your sister is all kinds of bent out of shape over it.” He laughed.

For Derek though it was different. He’d never been able to do anything like this. ‘ _What the hell is happening?_ ’

* * *

 

“Good to see you again, Derek. You’ve done very well for yourself.” Deaton examined him. “You look a little thin though.”

“Figured out that I’ve basically cut my calorie intact in half since I got here, but kept up lots of the routines. I went shopping last night for protein shakes and stuff.” He stood up at Deaton’s motion. It didn’t bother him that he was only in a pair of black briefs. He was used to walking around in his underwear.

“When did you get that tattoo?” Deaton ran a finger over it. “It is laced with magic.”

“I got it Winter Solstice of 2009. Right before David left.” Derek took a deep breath. “He said the magic in the runes under the tattoo would help protect me when he was gone.”

Talia walked in and went up to Derek. “Son, we know very little about David, but his influence on you has been enormous. Frightening even. Was he…was he human?”

The secret he swore to protect was now there. “No. He was a Dhampir.”

Deaton and Talia traded looks of incredulity. Talia placed a hand on the wall to keep from falling over. “Why?”

“I didn’t know until after he bit me.” Derek sat back and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know and then he started opening my eyes to world around me. I thought I left so much of that life behind. But he made me see who I was. He made me realize I was a bright young man with a future. He made me feel again.”

Silence filled the room. Deaton came forward. “Did you ever take his blood?”

“No, he only drank mine once a month. He left before I became addicted to the euphoria. But… while I am a virgin according to his old school rites, we did plenty of things.”

Talia and Deaton both knew what he meant. She turned to her emissary. “Is that enough? How did he not know? We can detect vampires easily enough.”

Deaton rubbed his head. “Talia, we sent his wolf to sleep when we sent him away. We weren’t sure it would work. It might have worked too well. And he did say he was a Dhampir, that’s different.”

She moved closer to Deaton. “Would that change his scent? Would that change _him_?”

“A Dhampir is a super rare hybrid, you know this. We have no idea what the consequences might be. We bear some of this responsibility too, Talia. You know what was happening we had to get him out of here.”

Derek finally had enough. “What was going on that I was pushed away quickly and then kept away? You were angry I didn’t return to California for college, but then thought it best. Why?”

Again, Deaton and Talia traded looks. Deaton motioned them towards his office. Derek rolled his eyes and threw on his shirt and shorts before leaving. His flip flops didn’t require any effort.

“There was a huge dust up around the time Paige died. One of the alpha wolves who wanted a far greater treaty was betrayed by one of the hunter families.” Talia sighed. “That family figured out that Paige didn’t die from a mountain lion attack and began to hunt for the killer. It was a confusing time and we were able to get you out without them figuring it out. Several wolves died during that time thanks to that one great betrayal.”

Deaton nodded. “But an emissary stepped forward. Some of us figured out exactly what that hunter did and this emissary managed to get captured by him. He has no love for anything other than himself. As she lay dying she cast a death curse on him. He can only tell the truth now and he can’t evade either. We used that to get the other hunters to stand down. A fragile peace has held for four years now.”

He picked up a knife and dipped it in something and quickly swiped it over Derek’s hand. Derek pulled it back and shook it out. “The fuck?”

“Let me see that.” Deaton examined the hand and frowned. “Talia, that was silver and wolvesbane together.” He showed her Derek’s completely healed hand. “There are side-effects to his exchange with the Dhampir.”

“Stay away from Kate Argent. She is Gerard’s daughter and hates this peace. We have a rogue alpha running around. Kali and Julia are looking for Ennis now. Duke has been ordered to keep his pack back.” Talia put her hands on Derek’s shoulders. “We can’t let the hunters know about this. As long as they believe they have a way to control us then the peace can hold. We don’t know how _this_ happened,” she said as she waved a hand at Derek. “We have to know; what else did David teach you?”

“I learned about the vast underground of New York and the world. That was part of the reason for the tattoo. Without him in New York, he didn’t think the protections built into being at Columbia would be enough to keep the vampire clans away from me.” Derek slumped forward. “Do I have to leave again?”

“No,” Talia stated fiercely. “Sending you away in the first place was a mistake. Only your family can keep you safe. You have your high profile career and that should keep you somewhat safe.”

Deaton tapped his desk. “We need to know exactly what being with that Dhampir for so long did to him. We need to figure out any other side effects.”

“Well years of martial arts has made him a hell of a fighter. Did David know this was going to happen?” Talia frowned when she said that name.

“I have no idea. We had chemistry, but not love for my part. But he woke up parts of me and educated me. I have extensive contacts in Asia and Europe should I need them. I was planning on seeing him in Australia next spring…”

“Absolutely not!” yelled Talia. “I failed you by not knowing how we impacted your wolf instincts when we sent you away. If you’d been at full ability then you’d have known the danger he presented.”

“He never hurt me. In fact he did nothing but help.”

“He fed on you, Derek!” Talia dropped her hands and then ran them through her hair. “I know you’re an adult and have an amazing career and all that. But please listen. Don’t do anything until we know what happened to you.”

She stopped speaking as her phone rang.  “Laura, what’s wrong?” Talia’s eyes went wide. “Do nothing and I’ll be right there.” She hung up and pointed at Derek. “Head home as soon as you’re done. I have to go to the school. Alan, Ennis was spotted in the woods behind the school.”

“Mom, let me help. That son of a bitch killed Paige.”

“And that’s why you will stay away. Derek, your instincts are all over the place right now. I have no idea what you can and can’t do. Stay away. That’s an order.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The relationship with David was laid out in Healing a Broken Soul.


	6. Chapter 6

Derek tore into the parking lot of the high school. He’d gone home as his mother had ordered, but he picked up Ben now and nothing was going to keep him from doing so. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he waited for the bell to ring. His mother’s voice came across loud and clear though.

“I thought I told you to stay home.”

Refraining from inflecting sarcasm into his voice was difficult, but he managed it. Pitching his voice low so that only other wolves would hear it he said, “Time to get Ben. I don’t see Stiles’ car so I’ll take him home too.”

“Do not linger.”

Derek didn’t bother to respond. The bell rang and soon the area was flooded with teenage kids. He forced a smile on his face as Ben came out of the school. He couldn’t help but laugh as Stiles tripped over his own feet trying to escape.

“You okay?” Ben asked. “You smell irritated.”

“Don’t worry about it, little bro. I’ll be fine.” He winked and motioned for Stiles to hurry up. “Take much longer and I’ll leave you here!” he paused to take both Stiles and Ben’s appearance in. He nodded. “I do good work.”

Ben broke out his Cheshire smile. “Emma Knight did a double take and grinned at me.”

Stiles slapped him on the back and laughed. “Way to go! Though he brother is a bit of a douche. Better watch out for him.”

“I’m not worried, Cora can take him.” Ben hoped into the backseat offering the front seat to Stiles.

Derek paused for a brief moment, shrugged and moved on. “I wouldn’t count on Cora to defend you. Where is she?”

“With Lydia, of course,” Ben giggled. “How did you figure out they were…together?”

“What?” screamed Stiles. “When did this happen? Does Jackson know?”

 “Are all of you blind? They spend time together after school. Cora’s voice does this thing when she says her name. The smelled like sex that one afternoon,” Derek shuddered for a moment. He looked at Ben and narrowed his gaze. “If you ever sneak off for an afternoon quickie – take a shower! No one wants to smell it.”

Stiles face fell and he started muttering. “Dude, you can smell that?”

“Sensitive nose,” Derek covered. “Plus, Cora reeked. Anyway, there are plenty of signs that they are together in the ways that count.”

“Cora or Jackson, jeez, I never stood a chance,” Stiles sulked. “I need curly fries.” He turned to Derek and pouted. “OH! I hid most of my clothes from my dad, but I showed him the shoes and a shirt. He wanted to thank you for ‘getting rid of those nasty things’ and for ‘making it so he can look at me without wincing.’ I was actually offended.”

“Dude,” Ben chimed from the back. “You have that one jacket that needs to be burned. At least Derek thinks nicely of you.” He gave his brother a devilish grin from the backseat.

Stiles suddenly beamed. “Yeah, he makes up for all of them! Okay, curly fry time.”

A quick run to Stiles favorite diner to pick up fries and some malts gave Derek a chance to calm his nerves. The conversation with his mother and Deaton unnerved him. It wasn’t long before they were back at Stiles’ house. Derek glanced at his watch. “I need to get home soon, but we can stay for a bit.”

Ben gave him a puzzled look, but shrugged when Derek gave no indication for his comments. Stiles smiled and motioned for them to enter.

* _Where are you?*_

Derek rolled his eyes at Laura’s text, but knew it was on behalf of their mother.

* _With Ben at Siles’_ *

* _Mom says not to stay long. Ennis on loose – no one knows where he is.*_

Derek’s blood ran cold and then hot. He wanted to take him, recalling the ass kicking he’d taken when he was a bit older than Ben was now. “Stiles, I need to leave. Please listen to me. Do not leave after dark.”

“Why?” Stiles voice was laced with skepticism.

“Please, it’s not safe.” Derek motioned for Ben to get up. “Ben will be online in half an hour. You two can go kill all the aliens you want.”

“Okay, but you owe me. I was going to kick your ass and now I have to wait.” He grinned at Derek and walked them to the door. “Should I tell my dad anything?”

“I think my mom is handling that.” Derek waved and went to his car. He waited for Ben to climb in before getting in as well. “Ben, there is a rogue alpha on the loose. Same goes for you, stay inside if you can.”

“I’m not going anywhere except upstairs to play a game.”

* * *

 

Something unsettled Derek. He grabbed some clothes and noted that it was just after midnight. He made his way outside and took in the waning moon. It had been ages since he ran these woods at night and he indulged in the growing need.

Allowing his instincts to guide him, Derek soon found himself near Stiles’ house. Instantly he was on his guard. He sniffed the air and crouched low. A strange scent filled the air and he knew it from his past. “Ennis,” he muttered low.

It didn’t take long to realize that Ennis’ scent was strong because he lingered near the sheriff’s house for an extended time. Two resting heartbeats hummed in the house so Derek knew they were okay, but the trail of Ennis scent was still around. Derek took off and followed it.

He stopped as the scent went into one of the large neighborhoods in Beacon Hills. There was no way he was running around there in the middle of the night. He turned back and headed home. Mist filled parts of the Preserve adding to the allure of the night. Derek pulled his senses out to their full extent. The night sounds, dim lights, and smells filled his mind and he ran like the wind. As he approached the house he noticed first floor lights on. Mentally steeling himself for a fight he walked inside and noticed his father, Peter, and mom sitting in the living room.

“Pup,” his dad said while motioning to the chair near them.

“Where did you go?” Talia asked.

“For a run and I ended up near Stiles’ house. The alpha’s scent was strong there. He lingered for a bit of time before moving on. He went into the main neighborhood. I didn’t follow, but he’s there somewhere.” Derek leaned back waiting for a response.

“I told you to stay out of it!” her eyes flashed.

Peter placed a hand on her leg. “Sis, wait before leaping to conclusions.”

“You were never much of a tracker,” his dad added. “You could tell how long he lingered?”

“It wasn’t a ‘time’ sense, but a concentration of the scent. He didn’t pass through, but moved around the yard. He was there long enough for it to be noticeable. You can go by tomorrow and still smell it.” He turned to his mother and frowned. “I only went for a run and ended up at Stiles’ place. I’m not looking for the alpha”

Talia cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Drawn by instinct maybe? It just hit me.” His mom and dad traded looks for a moment. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s go to bed. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

Derek got up and went to his room. A quick shower was called for since he’d run so much and there was some mud and dust on his legs. In the shower, his hand lingered on the only scars on his body. There were two tiny marks from where David fed. Even briefs hid the marks since they were so high on his groin. Even touching them brought back memories of times with David. It was like being back in New York together suddenly. A jolt from nowhere pulled his thoughts back to the shower. He quickly finished his shower.

Still damp he plopped down on his bed and curled up to sleep. But his main thoughts focused on why his instincts called him to Stiles house when the rogue had been there as well.

* * *

 

Derek went down to the kitchen when he woke up. His mother and siblings were gone, but he was shocked to see his dad and his uncles waiting for him. “What’s up?”

“A jogger was attacked in that neighborhood this morning. It was on the news. They are claiming it was a mountain lion.”

“We know it wasn’t,” Derek offered instantly. “What do we do?”

“Your talents weren’t tracking, but you were young then. You were the only one to get a read on him.” Alex said. “Son, you need to hang around the school to make sure the alpha isn’t stalking anyone there.”

He stared at his dad and uncles for a second. “Are you kidding me?”

“You have nothing better to do than work out every day right now anyway,” quipped Peter. “Maybe you should be a teacher like your sister. Teach you patience.”

“How about, NO!” The last thing Derek wanted was to spend all day with teenagers. The last thing he wanted was an everyday job. There was a reason he wanted to be a writer and saved most of his modelling money. A desk job would kill him. Teaching, he’d kill himself first. “Look, Laura already has me doing something with that insane Economics teacher slash Lacrosse torturer. I’ll spend extra time in the afternoon over there. That’s it.” A text chime made him look at his phone and he couldn’t stop the smile from crossing his face.

* _Help! Scott signed us up for lax tryouts this afternoon.*_

_*I’m running them. No mercy!*_

_*Rude! I want sympathy not bruises!*_

_*Tough!*_

“Something funny?” Peter asked.

“Stiles is trying out this afternoon. Maybe this will be more fun than I thought.” He looked at his family and rolled his eyes. “The boy is an uncoordinated colt. I’m going to count how many times he trips over his feet.”

“Uh huh. Okay well it gets you to the school and keeps you there so it will have to do.” His dad moved over and patted him on the back. “We still need to talk about your instincts, but I’m on first patrol.”

Derek finished his trek to his car and headed to the gym. He needed to blow off some steam. His years in New York taught him how to hide the full extent of his strength. It didn’t take long to get into a routine once he was at the gym.

“You really are just too adorable to be alone.”

That voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard to him now. He turned over his shoulder to see a leering Kate Argent. “Not to be rude, but I’m a little busy.”

“Now see, I’m just trying to be friendly. Rumor has it you’ve been gone from town so long you really don’t have any friends here.” She ran a finger across his chest as she smiled again. “I would love to be your friend.”

“As I told you, thank you, but I’m gay. And my last lover was in his thirties, handsome, built, hung, and very wealthy. You’re pretty, but in a plastic way that I’m all too familiar with so you touching me does nothing for me. At all.” Derek picked up his towel and headed to the locker room. This gym was pretty sparse during the day so he wasn’t shocked when he was the only one in the locker room.

Derek wanted time to think so he stripped and headed into the sauna. He was there for a few moments when all the lights went out. He dropped into a crouch and moved to the door. He pushed it open and darted into the locker room. The lights came back on as he made it to his locker. A note was taped on it.

**I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!**

He ripped it down and quickly dressed. He walked out to the front and found the senior trainer. “What happened?”

“Power went out for a few minutes. It was the oddest thing, but now it’s back. You okay?”

Derek nodded and left. He looked around and didn’t see her, but he had his suspicions. He checked his car for any signs of tampering, but her scent is not around it. Stowing his gear, he jumped in and headed to the school.

* * *

 

“Who the hell holds tryouts in this?” Derek asked no one and frowned at the sky as the rain came down in sheets. Visibility was next to nothing. His hearing picked up a distant crack of thunder. “That’s it.” He saw Ben standing under the stands with an umbrella in his hands, sharing it with a cute girl and could not stop the smile. That is until he started jogging towards Finstock and noticed just how muddy his legs were getting. “Are you kidding me?”

“Great weather, huh, Derwood?” Finstock blew his whistle. “Greenberg, this is not the slip-n-slide you played with in your backyard. Do it again!”

“Coach, its thundering which means we have to end this. Lightning risks!”

Finstock looked around and frowned. “Last thing I need is one of their parents complaining about electrocution threats.” He blew his whistle again. “Okay, you pansies, apparently there are rules about lightning so everyone in. Except Jackson and who are you kid, McCall, yeah, you two get to gather all the equipment while Donny here supervises.”

Derek wiped the water from his eyes when he caught movement in the tree line. The wind and rain impaired his hearing and so did the two teens yelling at each other. He moved as soon as he saw the transformed alpha break cover and attack. He picked up a lacrosse stick and ran towards the screaming teens. He hit the alpha on the head and used the webbing to hook his mouth and pull him away from the injured teens. The alpha ripped free and whirled on Derek.

Using the stick as a weapon, Derek swung and hit the alpha again and followed through with a kick to the neck. It was enough to slide the beast back towards the trees. A quick sidestep allowed him to avoid the hind claws of the rogue. Reversing his pivot, Derek used all his strength to impale the alpha on the stick. A roar from the beast made Derek cover his ears and in that instant he got away.

Turning, he moved to get to the wounded teens. He saw Laura running towards them with Ben and Stiles following. Derek knelt next to Scott and noticed the jagged bite on his side.

“Fuck!” moaned Jackson. “Shit, my leg!”

Derek looked at the scratch marks on the left calf and then at the bite on his arm. “Dammit!”

“Oh MY GOD! What was that!” screamed Stiles. “Derek are you okay? I mean you went after it like…Scott!”

Ben came over and helped Jackson sit up while Stiles moved to Scott. “That was a mountain lion? Now I know why mom says to stay close to the house!”

Bless, Ben, came the quick thought in Derek’s head as Laura started tending to the wounded boys.

“That…that was a mountain lion?” sputtered Stiles. “I couldn’t get a good look. But…”

“We need to move them inside where it’s dry!” Laura helped Ben get Jackson up while Derek helped Stiles with Scott.

The rain continued to come down in waves as the wind picked up again. The crack of thunder made them all wince and move faster. Ben ran ahead to get the door open.

“Where is everyone else?” Derek asked as he whipped his shirt off.

“No one bothered to come back here; they all ran for their cars,” Ben answered as he gathered some towels. “Finstock was muttering about taking his fun away.”

“Am I going to live,” Scott muttered under his breath. “What the hell was that?”

Jackson looked down at his leg as Laura cleaned it up. “Looked worse in the rain. Hurts some, but I don’t think I’m maimed like I feared.”

“A real maiming would have been a swipe at your face,” Stiles snarked.

“Yes, you’ll live,” Laura told Scott.  “Though we need to get you home. I don’t think either of you need stitches. You were lucky.”

Derek looked over and noticed Stiles staring at him. “Really, Stiles?”

“What? It was a life or death situation and now…I can’t help it that you’re half naked!”

Ben nudged Stiles. “Come on, you’re still soaking wet and if you keep staring you’ll be at attention too.” The younger boy snickered as Stiles’ blush deepened.

“Change, help them get dry too, and then we need to get them home.” Derek pulled his phone out and smiled that it was still functional after the waterfall outside. He pulled Laura aside. “Mom needs to know that they’ve been bitten. Both are completely out of it.”

“Dad’s on his way with Peter. They will get Jackson home and Peter will watch over him. Scott though, his mother is a nurse…”

“Scott, your mom, will she be home?” Derek asked quickly.

“No, she’s on nights this week.”

They all went to work getting the injured boys dry and changed back into regular clothes. Jackson groused about being manhandled without dinner and a movie first. Derek stared at him until the boy looked away.

“Stiles, Scott will be staying the night with you. We don’t want him alone.” Laura moved closer and nodded as their father came in with Peter. “He lives in the Heights.”

“We know where the Whittemores live.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Now I get to see how well that Porsche handles.”

“Where are his parents?” Stiles asked. “Aren’t they going to freak?”

“My parents,” Jackson slurred. “Are in the Bahamas celebrating…something. I’m really hot.”

The wolves shared a look. Alex moved with Peter and were soon leaving with Jackson. Laura and Derek moved Scott with Stiles and Ben following in their wake.  Laura took Ben with her while Derek drove Scott to Stiles’ place.

“Derek, he’s burning up. Should we take him to the hospital?” Stiles frowned.

“Let’s get him to your place. I hate even driving there in this mess.”

They pulled up and Derek practically carried Scott into the house. “Where is your dad?”

Stiles pulled out his phone. “Working a double.”

Derek carried Scott to Stiles’ bedroom and set him down. The boy’s breathing evened out and the fever broke. “Stiles, his fever is already gone. He’ll be fine. He’ll probably sleep the night. Keep him warm. Call me if anything happens.”

The drive to his house was treacherous with rain coming down in torrents still. Flood advisories were out for Beacon Hills County and surrounding counties. He parked and ran inside.

“Derek, you took on the alpha?” His mother moved close to him and ran her hands over his shoulders and head. “Are you okay?”

“The lacrosse stick came in handy. They think it was a mountain lion, but I’m going to keep watch over Stiles and Scott. Not even the New Moon yet, but…two newly turned wolves – not good.”

Talia nodded. “Eat something first and then go. Be careful, the alpha has your scent and he won’t hesitate to attack you.”

He gave his mother a kiss and ran to the kitchen where his siblings were huddled. Laura gave him a small smile. “Have some hot chocolate before you go. That was brave of you, Der. Ennis is a tank.”

Gratefully taking the sandwich Cora shoved in his hands, Derek swallowed it down and allowed the chocolate to add some warmth. “I’ll have my phone on vibrate. Be safe.”

The run back to Stiles’ was a mess of mud and water. “Glad these are old workout shoes because they’ve had it.” He made it to the backyard and vaulted over the fence. He made his way to the roof and settled in near Stiles’ window. Focusing his senses he listened to Stiles type away on his computer.

“How the hell did that wound heal already? That was no mountain lion. It was too big and the wrong color even with all this rain.” The computer keys continued to click away as Stiles’ printer hummed and spit out page after page.

Derek counted the minutes while listening to his friend gasp and groan as he went from website to website.

 “Seriously, there is no freaking evidence that he was bitten and it was gnarly at the school.” More pages spit out from the printer. A gasp and escalation of heart rate brought Derek back to full attention.

“Oh My GOD…Scott’s a werewolf.”

Derek could almost hear the implications of that realization sink into Stiles’ head.

“Wait…Ben said it was a mountain lion. Laura and Derek pushed away the idea of hospitals. Jackson is with a Hale. Derek is a phone call away. They know!”

Derek groaned. “I came home from New York for this?” The rain kept falling and he listened to Stiles as he went from how cool it was to how frightening.

“Dammit, no one will believe me, but do I trust them? Oh My GOD, there are werewolves in Beacon Hills!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to deal with newly turned wolves.

Derek left an hour after Stiles finally went to sleep. Scott’s snores never changed, but Stiles had a hard time coming down from the revelations he’d experienced.

Feeling responsible for the boys, Derek went home and napped for a scant few hours before getting up.

“You’re up early,” yawned Laura as she poured a cup of coffee. She grabbed another mug and handed it to Derek. “You heading out?”

“I need to be there when Scott gets up. Stiles figured it out last night. He’s equally excited and freaked.”

Laura sighed and shook her head. “That boy is far too smart for his own good. But if there was a human who we could trust and need to trust, it would be him. Derek, don’t scare him off.”

“I’m not going to scare him off!” Derek frowned and rubbed his eyes. “I’ll go get Starbucks for both of us and something from McDonald’s for Scott.”

She placed her hand over his. “You okay? I mean really okay? Mom told us about David.”

“I know how it looks from the outside and I get that mom is pissed about that, but he…he never hurt me. He…he _saved_ me.” Derek rubbed at the sudden tears in his eyes. “None of you understood. Paige…that night I…she died because of me. It killed part of me too and I just didn’t want to feel anymore.

“I was existing in New York. Yes, I had school and an awesome job, but I wasn’t enjoying it. I merely went from moment to moment. And then David showed up. He opened the door to the world again. I could smile and mean it.”

“Derek, I saw you two together. I get that, but he was a freaking Dhampir.” Laura refilled both their cups. “Dad was pissed when he found out what mom and Deaton did to you after you were sent away. He slept on the couch for a few days and then I found him in your room asleep. It’s the only time I ever heard him crying.

“You were his pup. Always will be. He loves all of us. I mean he dressed up as the Beast so I could be Belle one year for Halloween. But you, you’re special to him.”

“If I had to do it over again and I knew what David was before we went home together, I would still do it.” He looked his sister in the eye. “He left because he didn’t want to hurt me. He made me learn to stand on my own feet. He let me be a cocky SOB and take my beatings at that gym like a man. David, didn’t coddle me, but he did nurture me. The tools to succeed in our world, he showed them to me, showed me how to use them, and even gave me a starter set.”

Laura stood up and hugged Derek. “But you didn’t love him.”

“No, I didn’t and I don’t think I was capable of it then either. He made it possible so I could love again.” Derek wiped his eyes. “I owe him so much and you and mom think he _hurt_ me. Peter thinks I was a whore, trading sex for money. Even if David had no money and taught me those things I would do it all over again. Not my fault he’s almost two hundred and a born aristocrat. You know he would not take my virginity.” He smiled at the look on his sister’s face. “Oh I offered, more than once, but he said that was a gift more precious than all the blood in New York.”

She rubbed the back of her brother’s neck for a moment. “I’m glad you’re here. We all are. We missed you; you being gone was like a hole in our hearts and you being back, hearing your heartbeat nears ours, it completes us as a family. But I have to ask; why did you leave New York?”

Derek took a moment to gather his thoughts. “A few reasons. I had to come here and see everyone. I was dreaming of Beacon Hills. Part of me can’t move forward until I put everything that happened behind me. And the last part, I was not safe in New York any longer.”

“What?” Laura looked over Derek for a few moments. “Why?”

“The reason I have this tattoo. There are protection runes under each loop. They worked in conjunction with some protections in place with being a student at Columbia. Apparently those exist for NYU as well. I graduated. The vampire clans never bothered me before David, but after he started dating me, I was a valid target except for those protections.”  

“And yet he left you a virgin,” Talia said as she walked in. She hugged her eldest children and grabbed a mug of coffee. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“You do it so well,” Alex snarked as he followed his mate into the kitchen. “Pup, we’ll never really trust your David, he broke a fundamental rule by biting you without you knowing who or what he is.” He pulled his son into a hug. “It kills us that we left you that unprotected. But those are worries for later.” He took in his son’s facial expressions and laughed. “You forgot how little privacy you have in a house full of werewolves didn’t you?”

Derek nodded.

Talia laughed and then ran a hand along his shoulder. “Do as you planned and get to Scott before he wakes. He’ll be in for a rough morning. Stiles knowing presents a few problems. Not the least of which is his father is the sheriff.”

Downing his coffee quickly Derek left and headed for the Starbucks, McDonald’s and the Stilinski household.

* * *

 

“Quit banging on the door!”

Derek hid his smile as he heard Scott yell from upstairs at Derek’s soft knocks. “Come answer the door Scott or I will rip your throat out with my teeth. Besides, I have two Sausage Egg McMuffins for you.”

The sound of feet thundering down the stairs made Derek laugh outright. The door flew open showing a much disheveled Scott, in his underwear. “Food?”

Stiles came down the stairs, hair still wet, toothpaste all over his mouth and a toothbrush sticking out of it. “Who’s here?” he muffled.

Derek walked in and held up a Starbucks travel mug to Stiles. “I am and I brought coffee.” He hid his frown as he noticed many emotions cross Stiles’ eyes.

“Why is everything so loud?” Scott whined as he munched on his breakfast. “This tastes so good!”

Stiles took the coffee from Derek and headed back upstairs. He made it up three before he grabbed Scott by the t-shirt. “Come on, we have to get ready.”

“But I’m eating, Stiles!” Scott followed him and Derek trailed behind both teens.

Derek sat down on Stiles’ bed and waited for both boys to get dressed. He tapped on the wall to see if Scott would wince and he did. He knew Stiles was watching as Scott covered his ears.

“You going to keep torturing him or tell him what happened?” Stiles spat.

“What? What are you talking about?” Scott winced again. “What’s happening?”

Derek motioned for Stiles to speak. Stiles rolled his eyes. “If I’m correct and I think I am, then you are a werewolf.”

“Yeah, funny Stiles, no really, why am I hearing everything?” Scott covered his ears again and fell to his knees as cars drove down the street.

“Derek, am I right? Or am I totally off base with his injury gone, the fever, and the creature that attacked you yesterday?” Stiles moved right in front of Derek. “Well!” he challenged.

Standing, Derek nodded and moved over to Scott. “Take a deep breath and focus. Focus only on your breathing. Listen only to your breathing. You’re a newly turned wolf and everything is dialed up to 1,000. You can learn to control it.”

“I was right,” Stiles muttered.

“Please, don’t say anything until Scott is settled. He needs quiet.” Derek motioned for Stiles to sit. “Scott, you have asthma, or had, use those techniques to focus.”

Slowly Scott stopped covering his ears and looked at Derek. “Am…am I a werewolf?”

“Yes. The one that bit you and Jackson yesterday was a rogue Alpha, and yes, Stiles, I will answer all your questions. But first, you need to get to school. Call me if you have issues.” Derek tapped Stiles on the shoulder. “Follow me, give him a moment.”

They walked downstairs and Derek took a deep breath. “I know this is a lot to process. You have questions, but for now please keep this a secret. Knowing is dangerous. If you want I can pick you up after school and we can talk at my house, Scott included.”

“You’re a born wolf?” Stiles worried his lip as he spoke.

“Yes, me and most of my family. We aren’t dangerous. Well, Ben and I aren’t dangerous. I can’t speak to my sisters.” Derek forced a smile.

“That is so frightening. They were scary to begin with and now…do you turn into that monster thing?”

“Please, wait for this afternoon.”

Scott barreled down the stairs and Derek reached over to catch him.  “Man, Stiles, I’m strong now!”

“We need to go,” Stiles yelled and headed outside.

Derek paused for a moment at the tone in Stiles voice. Deciding it was best to tackle that later, he pushed Scott to follow and took the boys to school.

* * *

 

“I had to hit that sniveling shit twice before he backed down,” Peter said as he cut into his porch chops. “Seriously, we need to have a chat with that dumbass Ennis for biting Jackson. First he complained that his ears hurt. Then he starts masturbating in front of me groaning how horny he is. Seriously, my retinas will never recover. I cuffed him for that one. I feel sorry for his girlfriend. That one has a seriously quick trigger.”

Derek groaned and covered his ears. “I really didn’t need to hear all that.”

“Then he starts complaining that he’s hungry. He ran down to the kitchen, butt naked, still covered in his jizz. Not my carpet or tile covered in all that mess. Now, I’ll admit he smelled really good. But he’s going to have to learn to obey. Maybe Talia will let me train him…”

“Oh please shut up!” yelled Derek. “No one wants to hear about your fantasies and with that egomaniac. Besides, Cora and that insane Coach Finstock have commented on his shortcomings.”

“Well, the bite did him some good then. I mean he’s no born wolf, but he got a boost.”

Derek dropped his head in his hands again. “I’ll buy breakfast and we never speak of this again. EVER!” He dropped two twenties on the table in hopes that their waitress recovers from Peter’s scandalous comments. “I’m off to the gym and then the school. Did you at least tell Jackson he was going to our home this afternoon?”

“Yes, but he thinks it’s for other reasons. Amazing what a few words whispered in his ear will do…”

“Bye, Peter!” Derek left and shuddered as he heard Peter’s last few words. The drive over to the gym took ten minutes and he was out with his bag in hand quickly. He looked around and didn’t see the attendant so he used the fingerprint reader to sign in. After a quick trip to the locker room to change, he headed back out and instantly knew something was wrong. He stopped and tried to pick up heartbeats, but only heard three.

“Now, you should have just done this the easy way, Derek Hale.”

He turned and saw Kate Argent and another large man with her. “Are you seriously going to try to kidnap me? I mean my ex had money but he’s an ex. Not sure he’d pay anything for me now.”

“You can’t be that dumb. I know what you are and that is dangerous. You’re an animal, but we could have had so much fun before we had to put you down.” She lifted an electrified baton. “You’ve been out of the loop for so long. Not many hunters in New York.”

The other man is moving behind him and Derek knows they’re trying to pin him. The male hunter produce his own baton and Derek frowned. “Two on one doesn’t seem fair. Especially since I’m out of the loop.”

“We could have had it all, at least for a bit so no complaining now.” Kate moved quickly to strike Derek. But he jumped towards her partner and snapped his arm holding the baton. “What the hell!”

Derek flipped the man towards Kate and followed behind him. As she moved aside, he hit her wrist hard enough to break the bones and caused her to scream.

“FREEZE!”

Derek raised his arms over his head. He nodded as the sheriff and two deputies came in. “Sheriff.”

“Mr. Hale. Care to explain this to me?”

He smiled and pointed to the security cameras around the gym. “I could, but I think those will tell the tale.”

“The security company called us and said there was a robbery in progress. Two people in dark clothing.” John Stilinski looked at Kate and her friend. “Fitting their description. So everyone is coming with me and we’ll get this sorted out.”

“Boss, these two have broken bones.”

John rubbed his face and grabbed his radio. “Two injuries on site. Send EMTs. Correction, three injuries on site.”

Derek went back and changed again and headed to the station to give his statement. Sipping his water he heard the alert go out that two suspects escaped custody.

“Mr. Hale, thank you for your statement; you’re free to go.” John patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t repeat this, but be on your guard. Those two just escaped. We have a full scale manhunt out. Be careful, we saw the tape from yesterday and that woman seems to have a thing for you.”

“I know,” Derek deadpanned. “I need to go pick up Ben, Stiles, and Scott. They’ll be at my house.”

John rubbed his chin before nodding. “I’ll pick him and Scott up later.” He paused for a minute before motioning for him to leave. “You know once you let Stiles in you’ll never get rid of him.”

“I’m okay with that. Ben needs a friend and he keeps me grounded.” Derek waved and left. Before he drove off, he texted his mom to update her on the afternoon’s events. “There was never this much drama in New York.”

* * *

 

Pulling up to the school he instantly smelled his uncle lurking. “Seriously, it’s creepy. Don’t be that old man that stalks high school students.”

“I’m keeping watch over your charge and mine.”  Peter walked over and sat down in the car. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping torment students?”

“Finstock cancelled practice to get another set of tryouts in tomorrow after the field gets a chance to dry out some.” Derek finished his water and leaned back. “Anything exciting happen?”

“My charge needs to get a handle on his hormones. Though your charge had to do the same thing, just not as many times as mine. Ugh, teenagers!” Peter looked at his watch and smiled. “Well since you are here and you are taking Scott to see sis, I’ll leave you to that. I want to ambush Jackson and see if I can make him cry.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a twit!” Peter climbed back out of the car and stretched. “What’s the use in having newly turned around if you can’t have fun with them? Really, you need to think outside the box.”

Derek rolled his eyes and watched his uncle move away. He got out of the car and waited for the bell to ring. He watched as kids ran for the exits. He hid his chuckle as Scott tried to hide his discomfort with all the noise. “Its fine Scott, just relax and focus on singular sounds. It will filter all the noise down. Listen to my voice and focus on it.”

Ben popped up with Stiles in tow. “Let’s go!”

“Stiles,” Derek said with a smile. “How was your day?”

“It was school.” He climbed in the back.

Ben shrugged and climbed in the back as well as Scott sat up front. “Derek, I’m hungry!”

“There’s food at the house. Mom’s waiting.”

Every so often Derek would look back and see Stiles scowling. The drive wasn’t long and soon they pulled up. “Ben, please take Scott in to meet mom. I want a word with Stiles.”

The expression on Stiles’ face made Derek realize he’s caught the boy unaware. He threw an arm over his shoulders and guided them around the house to the back. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

“There is a thing you should know now. Werewolves can tell when someone is lying. Want to try that again?” Derek raised his eyebrows at Stiles and waited.

Stiles sputtered for a second before throwing his hands up in the air. “You’re supposed to be MY friend. Scott’s been hanging out with his girlfriend and only calls when she’s busy.”

It took a moment for Derek to process, but he got it. He led them to a bench not far from the house, but with a great view of the forest. “I’m not going anywhere, Stiles. You think I spend time with anyone just because. When you get to know my family well, I’m sure you’ll hear all the stories of how I have a few close friends and that’s it.

“Scott is newly turned. He needs us as does Jackson, but I think Peter will scare the poor guy to death.”

With that Stiles finally smiled. “It would be karmic justice if he did.” He sighed and leaned into Derek for a moment. “Sorry for being an ass. He’s going to be special and I’ll be me.”

Derek lifted Stiles chin and looked him in the eye. “You have no idea who you are yet. And for the record, I listened last night as you figured all this out in a matter of hours. That is pretty damned special. I know you have a million questions and I’ll answer them for you when we have a chance to sit and talk. But for now, it’s time for you to meet Mom.”

Jackson’s Porsche drove up and parked next to Derek’s Audi. He clamored out and ran to the house. “Keep away from me you…you, freak!”

Derek and Stiles stopped as Jackson ran behind them. “He’s a menace and he won’t stop… _talking_!”

Peter rolled his eyes and climbed the stairs to get into the house. “All I was mentioning was all the ways that being a werewolf has improved his life. Not my fault if he misconstrued some of what I was saying.”

Grabbing Jackson, Derek pulled him along into the house. “I’m seriously wondering why I came back to this!”

“Because you love us,” his dad answered. “So these are the new ones and friend.”

“Yes, but I need to talk to you and mom for a moment.” The three of them stepped into the kitchen. “Any news on Kate? Been years since I’ve had a face-off with hunters.”

“She’s fixated on you.” Talia tapped her finger on the kitchen counter. “She and Ennis have a history. This could…” she was cut off by a yell from the living room.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Derek knew that Peter was pressing Jackson’s buttons left and right. “Perhaps?”

“Yes, we’ll revisit this later. We have a little over two weeks before full moon.” Talia led them back out into the living room. Derek shook his head. Cora had Jackson in a headlock and Laura had Scott pined against the wall, wolfed out, and ready to teach him a lesson.

“Okay…” Alex moved into the room and cleared his throat. “Daughters dear, please put the kiddies down before they have an accident. Boys, welcome to Werewolf 101, girl wolves are just a strong, if not stronger, than boy wolves and my wife is the boss.” He gave both boys a knowing look. “Next time you manage to piss off either one of them I’m going to let them kick your ass until you beg for mercy.”

Peter moved in and smiled at Jackson. “I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen. Maybe Cora can take you out back and beat the crap out of you at school.”

Jackson whined and pouted as Talia frowned again. Derek reached over and pulled Stiles up. “We’ll let the family get those two used to being werewolves. Meanwhile, I’ll answer all your questions.”

Stiles nodded and pulled out his phone. “Start with why Kate Argent is listed as a fugitive and there is a picture of her trying to attack you?”

The image on the phone was bad, but Stiles knew what he was looking at. Derek sighed. “That’s just great!”

Before Derek could answer Talia and Alex ran out of the house. She turned and motioned for Derek to return to the house. “There’s been another attack. Jacob Lahey is dead and his son injured. They say it was a mountain lion.”

Derek pulled Stiles with him into the house. “We have to find Ennis.”


	8. Chapter 8

Derek checked the windows and doors again as the group of newly turned wolves sat around with the Hales. “So, we have any board games?”

Ben got up and ran to the games closet and soon came back laden with several games. “We have Trivial Pursuit,”

“Stiles isn’t allowed to play that game,” Scott yelled.

“Life,”

“Boring,” came from Jackson.

“Monopoly,”

“Laura cheats,” that was Cora.

“Sorry,”

“Ugh, no,” that was Peter.

Derek saw one and smiled. “We’re playing Risk!”

Mayhem broke out instantly since there were eight of them and only six colors. Peter claimed Scott for his team with a simple, “I should work with both puppies. I already know all I need to know about Jackson, but this one just screams innocent.”

“Peter, do not scar him,” Laura chided. “Jackson was already a lost cause,” she said to Derek. She smiled broadly. “Speaking of, why don’t you and Stiles form a team?”

Stiles grabbed the black army and nodded. “Cool. I’ll even pass out the cards for the quick set up.”

Derek got up to get snacks for everyone while they all argued about who got to roll first to go first. He heard some thumping and a few ‘Ows’ by the time he got back.

“We go first, partner!” Stiles yelled. “Though Australia is not in our plans. At least we aren’t Peter and Laura concentrated in Asia.”

A quick look at the board showed that they had lucked out with all seven of their territories in the Americas. Cora and Jackson were their main opponents in the Americas, but Ben had a footprint in Africa and Cora straddled the North Atlantic. Cora, Laura, Peter, and Jackson all had a slice of Australia.

Two hours later, Fortress Americas is holding tight while Cora and Jackson pouted after being defeated. Peter spent everything he had to claim Australia, but Laura refused to let him hold it long. Ben held Africa after a few rounds of détente with Team Stiles.

“HA!” Ben plopped down his cards and rubbed his hands together. “Forty armies, here I come!” he stared at Laura and smiled. Splitting his forces, he eyed Laura’s soft defenses in Asia and laughed. “Should have been paying attention to your baby brother!”

Twenty minutes later, Ben and Laura were on the sidelines yelling at each other. “Not my fault you kept your focus on Peter!”

“You had to make that truce with Stiles and Derek! You enabled them to win!”

Peter stormed out of the kitchen with Scott pouting behind him. “I think the fault is yours, Laura. You were obsessed with denying me Australia. And now we have a gloating _child_ on our hands!”

“You never let Stiles win anything. He does this dance and never lets you forget it!” Scott pouted. “I blame Ben.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at Ben. He held his hands up but was soon engulfed in a hug from Derek. “Don’t worry about them, little brother. You took risks when you could and played smart. Just bad rolling killed you when you had Laura pinned.”

“Don’t encourage him!” Peter gritted out.

The door opened which brought the arguing to a close. Talia and Alex walked in with Isaac trailing behind them. She flashed her eyes which made all of the wolves heed her instantly. “Derek, take Scott and Stiles home. Peter, you will watch over Jackson again. Isaac will be staying here tonight. Cora, prepare the guest room. All three of you will come here after school tomorrow. “

Derek picked up his keys and got the boys moving. Talia placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come back, drop off your car, and then go watch over them. Be careful, we overheard the ABP out for Kate Argent. Her companion was found dead of a gunshot wound. She’s armed and dangerous.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

She ran her hand along his scruffy jaw line. “Go. We’ll talk in the morning.”

* * *

 

Derek drug himself into the house around three in the morning. The quiet of the evening and night unnerved him as much as the activity over the past few days.

“Derek, please come sit down.”

He walked into the study and frowned seeing his parents there. That had never been a good sign. Like the time when he was six and decided that Peter’s fireworks and his GI Joes made a good match. Or the time he ran the water hose up the tree and tried to see if it was the same as rain.

“Are you woolgathering, son?” his dad asked with a broad smile. “This isn’t a lecture.” 

Talia gave him a tired smile. “With Kate and Ennis on the run we face danger like we haven’t since you were fifteen.”

“Seems like I’m bad luck,” Derek offered sadly.

“Not at all,” Alex defended. “Those two have history and we are in the middle. Kate went after Ennis’ pack soon after Paige died and managed to kill two more of his betas. It made him unstable, but…”

“After Duke was injured by Gerard we learned a horrible secret and had to lock up Duke for his own good for three months. His emissary got him back to good health.” Talia frowned, “That secret is something we don’t share, but it is deadly. We worried though, Kali and I, about Ennis.”

“Alisha was Ennis’ old emissary. He had a new one and Alisha decided to end the Argent threat. It was after that curse that the other hunters stepped in and stopped Kate,” Alex added.

Derek frowned now, “But she’s back.”

“We don’t know what happened to the last bits of Ennis’ pack or his emissary. Kali and her pack have looked. Duke doesn’t know either.” Talia ran a hand through her hair. “But if this rampage continues then other hunters will come. We’ve managed to contain the damage for now.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Derek sighed as he slumped in his chair.

“Because Kate fixated on you and your instincts are…they seem off to us.” Talia moved closer to her son. “Derek, much of this knowledge has already been passed on to Laura because she will be alpha one day. But you can sense things you aren’t supposed to. Tracking an alpha is extremely difficult even for another alpha, but you can tell that Ennis lingered around the sheriff’s house.”

“And then there’s Stiles,” Alex stated calmly.

Derek’s frown deepened. “Stiles? What about him?”

Talia rolled her eyes. “I’ve known you your whole life Derek James and for you to be this obtuse is almost, strike that, _is_ ridiculous.”

Alex patted his son on the shoulder. “You’ve never made friends as fast as you did with him. And don’t start in on your basketball team because you hated a few of them the whole time. He knows about us already too. That makes a huge difference.”

“Cora and Ben tease you about it often,” his mom added.

“I like him, he’s…unique. He makes me laugh.” Derek offered a small smile.

His parents traded and look and Talia sighed.

“Go to bed, I think lack of sleep has addled your brain,” Alex said as he stood up.

Derek sat back and thought about everything. He loved that Ben was happy and he knew that it had to do with being home and spending time with his little brother. But he also enjoyed seeing Stiles often. That first meeting was something and he knew he had to come home for a reason, but Derek didn’t want to label it. Oh, he knew Stiles had a crush on him and he teased the younger boy a bit, but it was all harmless. He truly felt at ease around him like he had no other.

He got up and headed to his room before he passed out. “Coming home was supposed to be less stressful than New York.”

* * *

 

Derek really needed his morning run to clear his head and to just let everything go. Running through the woods felt so much better than running among the buildings or pounding the cement in New York or where ever he was working.

He opted not to run to music that morning, instead allowing his senses to stretch to their fullest. Instinct made him dart to the side when an arrow hit a tree close to him. Swiftly he moved and avoided two more arrows. Not even thinking about it, he pulled out his phone and swiped it while running deeper into the woods.

“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”

“My name is Derek Hale out on the Hale property and there are armed strangers out here!”  He dropped his phone and ducked as several men came near him. “Who the hell are you?”

“Looks like we caught one, boys.”

Derek frowned and counted five men all armed and against him in running gear. “This is private property. Leave!”

“Who the hell do you think you are, boy?”

“Derek Hale, I live here and you aren’t welcome. Who are you so I can properly identify you for the police report?”

The men traded looks. “Boy, no one will miss you and the police certainly aren’t going to find you.”

Every fiber of his being screamed that he was in mortal danger. In a flash, he moved low and grabbed the man who moved behind him, snapped his arm in half, and threw him towards the center of their gathering. Following close behind, Derek went and ripped the semiautomatic weapon from the man on his right, breaking he hunter’s hand in the process. Quickly he used the gun to hit the hunter in the chest, knocking him backwards.

Two bullets narrowly missed Derek and he started to run. He knew these woods better than the hunters did and was grateful for some of the stupid training David insisted on. ‘ _Need to send him a thank you letter if I survive this._ ’

“Look at the mangy mongrel run, boys,” called the leader.

Jumping down a gully, Derek picked up two rocks in one hand and ran up the opposite embankment. He could hear sirens in the distance. Climbing wasn’t easy in running gear and with one hand holding a gun and the other holding two rocks. Circling behind the hunters he found their ATVs and fired two rounds into them, causing them to explode. He needed them trapped on the property. He pulled the clip out of the gun and threw the gun towards the wreckage while keeping the clip. Running one way, he threw the rocks in the opposite direction to make some noise and hope for a distraction.

Listening for sounds of danger, Derek knew they were coming so he moved again.

“Come back here you fucking dog!”

Again Derek moved swiftly and found a cluster of trees that had an excellent vantage point and cover for him. It was a bit of a labor, but he was a werewolf and climbing was easy. There were only three pursuing him now. That made the odds a bit better and he knew that help was on the way. It was several minutes before he heard the hunters again.

“He came up this way. We’ll find him.” The lead hunter kept his assault rifle trained forward looking for threats.

Derek dropped down from the tree and shattered one of the hunter’s legs with a kick to the knee. He pulled the gun from the screaming man’s hand. Reversing the grip on the gun, he hit another in the jaw and smirked at the crunching sound as the metal hit the bone.

Pain ripped through his arm and he yanked out the arrow on reflex. “Fuck.” He heard the crunch of boots on the undergrowth before he saw the sheriff and his deputies.

“Freeze! Everyone stay where you are. This is getting to be a habit, Mr. Hale,” the sheriff yelled as he and three deputies walked closer. “Racking up an impressive amount of broken bones I see.”

“Sheriff, this man attacked us in cold blood,” yelled the hunter.

“Yeah, because a college aged kid in running gear decided to take on men in camouflage armed to the teeth. Try again.”

The two hunters that Derek injured moaned as they got up. The deputies rounded them up while Derek went in search of his phone. He listened as the sheriff calmly stated, “We heard you threaten him because his phone was on. And this is private property…”

Derek looked at the time and frowned. “Sheriff Stilinski, I really need to get back home. I’m supposed to call my agent in five minutes and my battery is running low.”

“We know where to find you, go home Derek.”

He looked down at his hand and noticed he still had the arrow. His arm throbbed, but the wound was covered already. He dialed quickly. “Mom, hunters were in the Preserve. I was jogging when I came on them. The sheriff is dealing with them now, but I took an arrow to my arm.”

Derek made his way inside the house and was quickly greeted by Peter, who was babysitting Isaac. “Come with me, Derek. Let’s see your wound.”

Peter started looking at the arrow and then the wound. He left Derek sitting in the kitchen as he went down to the basement for something. Derek grimaced as his arm started tingling.

“Whatever the hunters were using is a rare form of wolvesbane. It should have killed you already, but you lead such a charmed life apparently.” Peter started mixing a few ingredients in a pestle. He nodded as Talia came running into the house. “He’s been poisoned, but I have something which will help.” He looked at Derek and smirked. “Looks like you’re going to be sick for a few hours.”

Talia leaned over and started mixing a few of the ingredients as well. Soon they combined their mixtures and gave it to Derek to drink. She ran her hand through his hair. “You may have exceptional healing, but that arrow was loaded. Go sleep it off. You’re about to experience a werewolf hangover.”

Derek got up, grabbed a bottle of water, and made his way to his room. He slipped off his shoes and shirt. Clad in only his running shorts, he collapsed on his bed and drifted off to sleep thanks to whatever concoction his mother and uncle gave him.

* * *

 

Cool wetness was the first sensation to hit him. The next was a wave of dizziness and heat from across his body. “What hit me?”

“According to your mom, a hunter’s arrow.”

Derek forced his eyes to open and tried to smile up at Stiles. “You draw the short straw for nurse’s duty?”

“Everyone else has werewolf stuff to do, so I volunteered.” Stiles dipped the hand towel back into the cool water bowl. He wiped Derek’s brow again. “Never seen a thermometer hit over 110. Scared the crap out of me.”

“My normal is 104.5 so that is a fever for me.” Derek sighed as Stiles ran the cool towel along his neck. “Thank you, can’t remember the last time I felt this bad.”

“Five on one, Derek? Seriously?” Stiles sighed and moved some of the wet hair off Derek’s forehead. “Can I tell you how stupid you were?”

Derek rolled on his side and looked at the time. “Can’t believe it’s that late.”

“Your mom had to convince me that you would be okay. Dude, you looked gray and so sweaty. I’ve been here for two hours.” Stiles smiled at the older man. “You talked in your sleep.”

Blushing, Derek winced a bit as he shrugged. “Oh.”

“Still feeling guilty about some water prank?”

“Stupid brain,” Derek muttered. “I’ll tell you about it some time. Can you help me up?”

“Nope,” Stiles shook his head. “Your mom said to make sure you didn’t get up. What do you need?”

“Water, please.”

While Stiles went to get some water, Derek managed to get standing on his own. Every muscle ached in his body. He dropped his shorts and walked into his bathroom. He started the water and got it to the right temperature before stepping in. “Oh this is heaven.”

“Don’t think I won’t go in there and kick you, you stubborn werewolf!” Stiles yelled. “What part of stay in bed did you not understand?”

Derek yelled back, “I was sweaty! And I feel better.” He quickly finished his shower. Stepping out he dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked out to a glaring Stiles. He reached out and tried to ruffle the younger boy’s buzz cut. Derek made his way over to his dresser and dropped his towel while digging for some shorts. The gasp behind him didn’t really hit him until he turned slightly and started putting on his shorts. “I’m sorry. I’m used to being naked around people and changing anywhere.”

A beet-red Stiles sputtered, “It’s…it’s okay.”

Pushing his arms out of his sweatshirt, Derek moved closer to Stiles who was looking anywhere, but at him. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I need some food, you hungry?”

“Dude, there is a ton of pizza down there.” Stiles finally looked at Derek and then looked away again. “Apparently werewolves have major appetites.”

“Yes, well they could still eat better.” Derek pulled Stiles with him as they headed downstairs. The rest of the family was coming in from the outside followed by three very weary looking newly turned. “You guys okay?”

Jackson looked at Derek and rolled his eyes. “Cora seems to take special pleasure in kicking my ass.”

Isaac and Scott simply slump against a wall and groan. Isaac looked up at Stiles and begged, “Can you bring me some water?”

“Do I look like the errand boy?” Stiles scoffed. One look from Derek and he surrendered. “Fine!”

“One for me too!” Scott managed to yell.

“Ugh!” Stiles grunted as he went back to the kitchen.

“You’re looking much better,” Talia said as she gave her son a hug. “He was very worried about you.”

Derek looked over his shoulder at the approaching teen carrying two glasses of water. He was dressed in clothes Derek bought him and looked very stylish and yet very Stiles. He turned back to his mother and nodded. “If the roles were reversed I’d do the same.”

“Cora, stop harassing me! I’m an only child I never wanted a sister!” Jackson yelled as he moved away from the younger Hale sister.

“You can have her!” Ben yelled as he walked in with Peter and Alex. “Means I only have to deal with bossy Laura!”

“Eat something everyone and Alex will drop everyone off. We’ll see you tomorrow after tryouts.” Talia smiled at Stiles and patted him on the back. “Have fun tomorrow.”

* * *

 

“Have fun she said,” Stiles whined as Scott helped him up. “Look, you and your new wolfy friends can heal, but I’m just a fragile human so STOP RUNNING OVER ME!”

Jackson and Isaac traded high-fives as they scored against Danny again. Scott ran over and joined the fun on the field. Stiles bent over and tried to catch his breath. “Stupid werewolves,” he muttered while sucking air.

“We’re not all so bad,” Derek said as he came up beside the teen. “Look at the three of them. Everything about them right now is pure power. There is no finesse in their movements or actions.

“And that means what?” Stiles muttered.

“They can be beaten by using their tools against them. Apply some physics and see what happens.” Derek smiled and pushed Stiles back onto the field.

“I don’t take Physics until senior year, you jerk!”

Stiles jogged back to the practice line and saw that Jackson was now in the net and keeping everything out. Stiles’ turn came up so he ran like everyone else did and at the last moment shifted left and Jackson fell for the feint but faked right and shifted the stick to his left hand and fired. “Oh YEAH!”

Jackson stared at Stiles as did Scott. “You aren’t left handed!” yelled Scott.

Derek barely contained his laughter when Stiles simply said, “I’ve learned to use both equally well.”

Finstock screamed that tryouts were over. “I despair of winning another championship!”

Gathering up the equipment, Derek helped stow it and waited for Stiles and Scott to come out while he and Ben waited.

“You ever going to tell him you like him?” Ben asked while drinking his Coke. “We all know he likes you.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Could be,” Ben smiled. “Just wait until next week to ask him out. I’ll win.”

Derek rubbed his head and rolled his eyes. “Who started the pool?”

Ben grinned even more broadly. “Peter, of course! He also has a pool going on when Jackson gets dumped by Lydia, but that payout is going into next year. Laura has never on you asking by the way.”

The guys came running out and Derek climbed into the car. They arrived at the house and Derek pointed to a new car out front. “Whose is that?”

“Looks like my boss’ car,” Scott said as he ran into the house.

Jackson pulled up beside them with Isaac climbing out shaking his head. “Just because we can heal doesn’t mean you can drive like a madman.”

As they all walked in Derek saw Alan grab Stiles and head into the library. He knew enough not to question anything yet, but still it worried him. Two women he’d never met were with his mother in the kitchen. “Hi!”

Talia smiled and motioned towards the ladies. “Derek, this is Kali and Julia. Ladies, this is my son, Derek.”

“The model,” the woman named Kali said as she looked him up and down. “I can see why.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Julia said as she shook his hand. “We hate to bother you, but you are the only one so far who has been able to really get a track on Ennis. We need to find him or more hunters will come.”

“Yeah, already had a run in with those yokels.”

“More will come,” Kali grits out. “We have to find him.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN MAKE FIRE!” Stiles yelled from the library.

Talia motioned to Julia and she quickly walked towards the library. “She was always better with the new ones than Alan.”

“Alan likes to act as though everything is a mystery,” grumped Kali. “How you deal with that dour persona every day is beyond me.”

“Not everyone has the same personality. Derek here is nowhere near as gregarious as the rest of us, but we deal.”

“Thanks mom!” Derek left out the back door and headed to see what the others were doing. He waved at his dad who was busy building something out near the back shed. “Dad, you’ll never be Thomas Edison.”

“Bite your tongue!” His dad popped out of the workshop and grinned. “Nikola Tesla. Get it right!”

A quick shift on his part and Derek joined in the training session that soon ended up being the three new wolves against him. He sent Jackson flying while he kept using Scott and Isaac against each other. He enjoyed taking on the teenagers because he felt no remorse for making Jackson wince in pain or Isaac grunt with a sudden attack move. Though he did enjoy making Scott run right into a tree; pure payback on Stiles’ behalf.

“Enough, boys!” Talia called.

Stiles was strangely silent as they left the house. Derek and Scott tried to get him to talk, but he waved them off. When he climbed out of the car he smiled at Derek and simply said, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

It took Derek a few minutes to process Stiles’ behavior. He gunned the car and headed back to join the search. After more warnings from his parents, Derek took off through the Preserve and tried to find the scent of the rogue alpha. Finally he caught wind of it in another neighborhood of the town.

Pulling out his phone he called his mom. “We have a problem. There are two new scents with him. He has two betas with him.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek gets an eyeopening sight.

Derek left the area where he picked up the scent of the alpha with two betas. He was no match for an alpha alone, and with two betas, he’d be torn to shreds in moments. He stopped close to the McCall residence to check on Scott and could hear the young teen snoring. The lack of a car in the driveway confirmed the single heartbeat in the house. No foreign scents lingered around so he was good.

Leaving there, he jogged down the street and a few over to near Stiles’ house. His ears perked at the erratic heartbeat of the teen. He moved quickly closer when he heard, “Derek.” Before he could stop, the werewolf vaulted to the second floor and moved along the roof until he was outside the window.

The lack of light and second heartbeat told him nothing. He’d met too many creatures in New York that didn’t give off a heartbeat to trust that lack of sound anymore. Another pained sound of his name being called out forced Derek through the window and into the teen’s room.

The smell hit him first, the thick scent of sex and desire. The dim light illuminated the teen quickly stroking his cock and the arch of his hips, along with the sudden pungent smell, signaled completion. Derek’s eyes bugged out and it all became clear in an instant. He wanted Stiles.

“Oh. My. GOD!” Stiles cried out when he saw Derek after opening his eyes. “Please be a nightmare,” he muttered.

The sudden scent of shame and the smell of salty tears forced Derek to move again. “Hey…no, I’m sorry.” He picked up a pair of discarded underwear and placed them in Stiles’ now trembling hand. “I thought you were in trouble.”

Stiles pulled the covers over his flushed body and wiped his cooling cum while refusing to look at Derek. “Guess you know now?”

Derek wiped Stiles tears away with his thumbs. He reached behind his body and pulled the desk chair over. He nodded at Stiles and gave him a soft smile. “I already knew. I didn’t know how much until now, but I knew you liked me. Honestly, it’s a little flattering because its genuine not like what I put up with from random people who’ve only seen an ad or two.”

Pulling the covers over his head, Stiles let out a muffled, “I’m going to die of embarrassment now. Please tell my dad I love him and Scott can have my stuff.”

“No you won’t die of embarrassment you dork,” Derek said as he uncovered Stiles’ head. “I’m kind of jealous actually. I got used to being loud in my own apartment. Living with a bunch of werewolves again is like culture shock. I mean I can rub one out in the shower, but where is the fun in that?”

“But…why would you when you…I mean you could have anyone!” Stiles practically screamed.

Derek reached over and ruffled what little hair Stiles had. “Since David, I thought about the random hookups I had in high school and early in college. They leave me feeling empty. I’ve only had sex once since he left me.” He looked directly into Stiles’ eyes and smiled. “Solo is much better many times anyway. You made quite the mess all alone.” He smiled broadly at Stiles’ blush.

“Well you’re a creeper for listening in and barging in. Totally unfair since you saw me all naked and stuff.” Stiles sighed. “Are you going to give me the ‘we’re only friends’ speech? Because if you are can it wait until the weekend? Because I can make Scott hang with me and eat ice cream while I bemoan my attraction to the unattainable.”

“I’m not going to give you that speech. But we are going to talk about this soon. Go to sleep and we will also be talking about your conversation with Julia and Dr. Deaton.”

“Not supposed to talk about it!” Stiles yelled at the retreating Derek.

“Also not supposed to have werewolves running around. Or have hot models think you’re cute!” Derek jumped down with that last remark and headed home.

* * *

 

Derek watched his mom pace while the others thought about what she said. He had far too little sleep be thinking this much. He really wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for another few hours.

“It’s a huge risk,” Laura said. She was home because she took a personal day. “Once we do this it can’t be undone.”

“Agreed,” Peter said from his corner chair. “Even with Stiles in the know, this is huge.”

“We knew Claudia well,” Alex commented. “Stiles has proven to be remarkable. Trust is placed where trust can be given. I have faith this can work.”

Talia sat down and met all their eyes one by one. “I may be alpha, but this is too big for me to decide on my own. We vote.”

Derek watched as Peter nodded, Laura nodded, his dad nodded, Uncle Sam nodded, Uncle Andrew nodded, and it came down to him. He stood up. “What did Deaton say?”

“This is a running issue between us.” Talia moved to her son and smiled. “What’s on your mind? Everyone else has spoken.”

“Fairy tales don’t exist. Myths fade into obscurity. Legends are forgotten. I trust Stiles and I think we should ask him. He knows the sheriff the best and would be the best gauge we have. If he says no then that is my vote. If he says yes then likewise.”

Laura started laughing hard. She slapped Peter on the back as she pointed to her brother. “It’s already begun.”

“What?” Derek looked at his family and frowned.

Alex laughed this time. “You. Stiles. Already you are thinking of making decisions between the two of you. Thinking in relation to what he would think or feel. That’s fast.”

“Have you even kissed him yet?” Peter demanded.

“NO! What business is it of yours?” Derek rolled his eyes. “We have rogue alphas and missing hunters, but no you want to focus on my love life.”

“So you do put him in that category?” asked his Uncle Andrew.

“I thought you were on my side?” Derek scoffed.

Andrew shrugged. “You used the words ‘love life’ in relation to the Stilinski boy. I’m merely asking the question.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Laura said as she stared at Derek. “So Der-bear, how _do_ you feel about Stiles?”

“Enough!” Talia said as she stood up. “I love to torment my children as much as the next parent, but as Derek conveniently pointed out, we have other issues. Alex will pick up everyone from school except Stiles. Derek and I will do that. And Laura?”

“Yes, mom?”

“Do not allow Cora to injure Jackson. He doesn’t know about Lydia yet and he shouldn’t be bullied by her for that.” She arched an eyebrow at her daughter.

“Of course. Can I abuse Cora?” Laura’s smile took on a feral glint as she asked.

“Go for it. But not Ben, he’s just heading into his growth spurt. Once he’s past that then you can have fun.”

Derek stood up. “Guess I need to teach Ben how to kick Hale ass.” He smiled at his sister who sneered at him. “Let me shower and then we can go get Stiles.”

* * *

 

Stiles sat in the diner and looked at Derek next to him and Talia across from him. “Tell my dad? About all this supernatural BS that is going on? Are you kidding?”

“There is a rogue alpha out there and he’s encountered hunters. Worlds are blending Stiles and he needs to be prepared. You…you want to hide everything that is coming from him about you?” Talia asked calmly.

He sat back and stared at the Hales for a moment. “He’s been near my house hasn’t he? The alpha? That’s why you come around at night?”

Talia nodded. “Scott, Isaac, and Jackson, all of you teenagers. We checked with the school and we can’t tell if the others that Derek sensed are students or not. You would be a logical choice if logic played anything here. We don’t know what is motivating Ennis, but if you are in danger then so if your father.”

“This is entirely up to you,” Derek said. “I can’t tell you what to do or anything. I will do everything though to keep you safe.”

Stiles dropped his head in his hands. “This is not how I envisioned my day. Maybe watch some new werewolves get their asses kicked, then play a game or two with Ben, and then try to convince my dad that healthy food tastes better than fast food.

“Instead, I have to deal with telling him something that comes right out of my horror film collection!”

Derek reached over and started rubbing one of Stiles’ hands in his own. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“But I do. If he gets hurt because he’s not prepared then that’s on me.” Stiles turned to Talia and nodded. “Can you keep him safe?”

“To the best of our ability.”

* * *

 

Derek walked behind Stiles and Talia as they headed to the Stilinski household. The smell of anxiety and fear enveloped his friend and made Derek want to pull him close and never let go.

“Hey dad, Mrs. Hale and Derek are here!” Stiles turned to them and took a deep breath. “Can I get you anything?”

“Relax, Stiles,” Talia said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

John Stilinski walked down the stairs with his hair still wet. “And how are you, Talia?” He walked over and gave her a hug. “You and Alex going to sponsor part of the charity golf tournament again this year?”

“Of course,” she smiled and sat down next to Derek. “We need to talk to you though.”

He took a big breath and shook his head. “Is this about Stiles’ crush?”

Stiles’ face fell and went red all at the same moment. “What? No! What?”

Talia laughed and playfully slapped Derek on the back. “See, it’s apparent to everyone, but sadly no, that is not the reason for this visit.”

“Oh, well when that day does come you and I are going to have a very long talk, Derek. And I will show you my gun collection.” He stared at the older boy for a moment. “So what brings you here and with both these miscreants?”

“This isn’t something we share lightly and I am doing so because circumstances demand it for both you and your son.”

The sheriff leaned forward and fixed his gaze on Talia’s. “We’ve known each other for awhile, Talia. I’ve never heard you this rattled.”

“Dad, they’re werewolves!” Stiles covered his mouth quickly. “Oops.”

Derek dropped his head in his hands. John stared at Stiles and then at Talia. She nodded. “While I would have been more diplomatic about it, thank you, Stiles, that is the heart of the matter.” She shifted her right hand into a claw and then unshifted.

John sat back shocked. He looked at his son for a second and motioned towards Talia, “And you?”

“Still very much human…ummm, yeah. There’s a reason I know!”

He raised a hand to stop all conversation and went to the kitchen. He came back with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Talia and kept one for himself. “I have a feeling this is going to take a while.”

Talia slowly explained that a rogue alpha was terrorizing Beacon Hills and what Kate Argent and her ilk meant for Talia and her family.

“So Scott is now a werewolf and Stiles is neck deep in this.” John sighed and rubbed his face. “Only you could get into something like this Stiles.” He turned to Talia and laughed for a moment. “You are so lucky that one of my favorite movies in my youth was An American Werewolf in London. I always liked David Naughton. So what do you need me to do?”

“Nothing for now. We decided it was best you know so you could deal with any surprises. Derek smelled two betas with Ennis and he’s been targeting teenagers. Do you have any reports of missing kids?”

John shook his head. “No. But Scott, Isaac, and Jackson…wait, that’s why you were there when Isaac was hurt.” John got quiet for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll help you get Isaac assigned to your home.”

“Thank you, that was next on the agenda. We can help the three of them, but they are not my pack yet. Ennis can call them and control them if we aren’t careful.”

“I have a lot to think about and even more to do. Stiles, please show Mrs. Hale out. I need a word with Derek.” He stood and gave Talia and hug before pulling Derek towards the kitchen. “Just so we are clear; I’m not blind or dumb. Stiles has a crush on you that is going to eclipse his epic years long crush on Lydia Martin. She’s never given him the time of day, but you hang out with him and include him in everything. I don’t want my son hurt. I don’t want to have to tell him that sometimes things don’t work out. He’s had to grow up way too fast already...”

Derek raised both his hands. “Sir, I…the last thing I ever want to do is hurt Stiles. And I know about his crush and my family has taken great pains to tease me that I like him in return.” He stopped the sheriff from speaking. “Can we leave it at that for now? I’ve had one real relationship in my life. And this is still really new to me.”

“So we need to have the ‘I own a gun, several in fact’ conversation?” John sighed and rubbed his neck again. “You’re older than him and famous. You’ve been all over the world and now that he knows you’re a werewolf…God help us because you have become the biggest shiniest ‘toy’ he’s ever seen. He still has a box of Legos in his closet. He never gets rid of stuff. You’re stuck with him whether you become more or not.”

“I figured.” Derek smiled and motioned behind him. “My mother is waiting. I have to go to San Francisco early next week. When I get back we can talk?”

John patted Derek on the shoulder and nudged him towards the door. “I do have a gun collection, just so you know. And all the deputies won’t say it around him, but they love Stiles so if this happens expect to be pulled over often and given a talk.”

Talia was in tears laughing as she relayed what she heard to a clearly mortified Stiles. He hardened his gaze at his father as he and Derek walked out of the house. Marching over, he grabbed his dad’s arm while waving to the Hales. “You mister are in so much trouble. You’ll be lucky to see red meat by the end of 2012. A year dad, a year! And I am going to tell Evelyn that you’ve been cheating on your diet. See what happens at the station then!”

“Stiles!”

Derek closed the car door and shook his head. “Why did I come home?”

“Because you missed us. Now, let’s go deal with the pups.”

* * *

 

The next two days passed quickly and without finding either Ennis or Kate. Derek finished throwing some clothes into his overnight bag when he heard a knock on the bedroom door. “Come in.”

He smiled as Stiles walked in the room looking nervous. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I haven’t seen you for two days and was worried my dad ran you off.” Stiles’ gaze was fixed on his shoes, never quite looking at Derek.

His hands froze at the words and tone. Dropping the shirt, Derek moved next to Stiles and nudged him with his shoulder. “I apologize. I should have texted or something. I’ve been running with Kali and Peter trying to find anything on Ennis.” He lifted Stiles’ chin with a finger and looked him in the eye. “I’m not going anywhere. We do have to talk about your dad, my family, and what I barged in on, but I’m not avoiding you.”

“You sure? I mean I know I’m an annoying kid and all…”

“Stop right there! I know for a fact that you are nothing short of brilliant. Cora told me and so did Laura. My family likes you. Ben wants us to adopt you…”

“What about you?” Stiles asked as he moved towards the desk. “You’re really vague.”

“Because this isn’t something I want to rush. This isn’t something…there are things you don’t know and I’m not comfortable talking about.”

“Paige,” Stiles said it and Derek’s mouth fell open. “Laura sat me down yesterday and told me. Said you’d angst about it for hours and probably never get to the point.”

“That was…” Derek was at a loss for words.

“Hey! It’s…I don’t think this is one-sided and I just don’t want to feel like I can hope…”

Derek moved over to Stiles and hugged him. “Can we take this slow? I mean you are sixteen and I am a recent college graduate. I’ll be twenty-three in a few weeks. Its something we have to think about.”

Stiles looked around and frowned again. “Going somewhere?”

“Leaving early tomorrow for a photo shoot and I’ll be back late Tuesday. Don’t let Ben beat you too bad while I’m gone.” He winked at his friend.

“As if! Dude is totally owned by me on a daily basis!”

“AM NOT!” Came an answer from down the hall.

Derek laughed at Stiles’ expression. “Told you living in a house full of werewolves is no picnic.”

Stiles moved closer. “No wonder you do _that_ in the shower.” He waggled his eyebrows at Derek’s shocked face. “Well, I’ll see you when you get back. Scott and I are going to see ‘Abduction’ because he wants to run into Allison there. Think Cora and Isaac are going too.”

“And Ben?” Derek had to look out for his little brother.

“I quote, ‘Any movie featuring that awful wannabe werewolf will not get my money’ unquote. I begged him because Scott will be all Allison this and Allison that. Cora will harass Isaac the whole time and I’ll be stuck watching a stupid movie. I wanted to see ‘Drive’ but apparently Taylor Lautner is better looking than Ryan Gosling. Whatever!”

“Never met Lautner, but Gosling is okay.” Derek winked at Stiles. “Okay off with you.” Derek smiled as the teen left. He finished packing and tried to hide his smile at Stiles’ antics.

* * *

 

The drive down to San Francisco went smoothly. Monday morning traffic built up the closer he got to the Bay Area until it slowed to a New York crawl. It didn’t take long to find his way to the studio.

Nine grueling hours later, he made his way to his hotel room. He’d been bent at odd angles, been put into weird makeup, been forced to stand like a statue for two hours and all with only a single bathroom break and a half hour to eat rabbit food since the photographer didn’t want his abs to lose any hint of definition from eating a large lunch.

“I hate photographers!” he threw his garment bag on the bed and then his body next to it. Quickly checking his phone, he saw a few messages including one from Laura telling him they think they know who the other two betas were.

“Huh.” Derek scrolled through a few more messages including a potentially suggestive one from Stiles. “What am I going to do with him?”

“Room service!”

Opening the door, he found himself looking at the end of a barrel of a gun. “Hey lover boy. Bet you thought you were safe here. Your agent was so willing to help me find you.”

Derek narrowed his eyes. “Kate.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to a head.

Derek screamed as the cattle prod hit him between the ribs. Kate smiled as she pushed him back from the door with an associate following. She kept the gun leveled at his face.

“Hey sweetie, it’s time we had a real conversation. Oh, and I suggest you fire your agent. All I had to do was make up some BS story about changing studios tomorrow and she gave us your hotel. Hard to find good help these days.” She had her associate hit him with the cattle prod again.

Pain laced through his body and Derek fell to the floor. He felt his arms being pulled and the burn on his skin let him know that some form of wolvesbane was in the ropes. Two more jolts from the prod made him almost unconscious as they stripped him.

“Guess there is a reason you’re an underwear model,” Kate cackled as she fondled him. “You really fill out a pair of briefs.”

Derek struggled to find his center as he was tied to the bed. Finally he found his focus and looked at her, but refused to say anything.

Kate pulled out a glass container. “See this? It’s a hydrochloric acid infused with a few different forms of aconite.” She pulled out a knife and showed it to him. “We tested this on a few others of your kind and the cuts don’t heal pretty. Leaves nasty scars on what should be a flawless body. Imagine how your career would go if you had a nasty jagged scar running across your beautiful face. Or some along your chest, arms, or legs…no more perfect modelling career for you.” She slid the knife down his side, not deep but enough to make it bleed and for it to cause Derek to groan in pain.

Panic began to well in his chest before Derek focused. The ropes could only hold him because there was pain associated with them. He’d heal - eventually. He listened to David’s voice telling him about power and how to use it in emergencies.

Kate fondled Derek’s cock again. “We cut off many fingers and other things and none regenerated. How would you feel looking at your old ads knowing you could never fill out a pair of underwear like that again? It would be a big loss and a huge blow to your ego.” She ran the knife just above his cock. “Would be a shame to take that away from you, but we routinely fix animals.”

Derek focused and the tattoo on his back suddenly felt like it was on fire. With a yank, he snapped the rope binding his right arm and in one motion nailed Kate in the jaw sending her flying across the room. He snapped the ropes holding his legs and used his claws to free his left hand. Her associate came running in, but Derek level him with a kick to them stomach and the blow to the back of his head.

“FUCK!” Kate screamed as she tried to get up.

Derek yelled as the knife she’s been holding was thrown and was now deep in his thigh. He ripped it out and threw it as the other man came in and the knife landed in his right arm making him drop his gun.

Kate tried to grab Derek from behind, but he turn and backhanded her in the face and he felt her jaw give that time. He followed with a roundhouse kick to that broke her left collarbone. He back stepped and took out her right knee with a low kick. Moving swiftly he grabbed that second assailant by the head and brought his knee up to crack several ribs.

The doors to the hotel room flew open as San Francisco police flooded the room. Derek still had rope burns on all his extremities, blood from her slight cut on his groin and side, and burns from the cattle prod. He looked at the police and frowned. “Can you please lock her up for good now?”

* * *

 

Derek looked up as his parents came running into the precinct office. He shocked to see Laura with them. He raised his arm to wave and winced.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hale? I’m Lt. Chen, we’ve been in contact with Sheriff Stilinski and young Mr. Hale here is free to go.” The Officer turned to Derek and frowned. “Man, I’ve heard of some psycho stalkers but yours takes the cake. Go get those rope burns taken care of.”

Alex and Talia helped Derek up. She ran her hand through his very messy hair. “This is the worst I’ve seen you looking in a long time.”

They all walked out of the station and Alex held Derek close. “You can heal now.”

“No, I can’t.” He looked at his family as they all stared at him. “To break those ropes I had to channel all my energy to overcome the wolvesbane and that damned knife covered in aconite acid. I had to draw on the magic in my tattoo as well, the protections, the price is I’m suffering for it now. It will be days before I feel right.”

Talia placed her hand on Derek’s face and her arm turned black as she drew in his pain. “We’ll get you home. Your dad will drive your car since I know you think Laura would wreck it on purpose.” She gave him a smile. “That is one phone call I could do without. Are you alright? Really?”

He shrugged. “She threatened to cut parts of my body off. I think a broken jaw, shredded knee, and shattered collarbone are payback.” At her expression, Derek nodded. “I will be fine.”

Laura raised an eyebrow at that. “Call your agent and explain the situation. And you do have wounds that need tending so they have to cancel tomorrow anyway.” Laura looked at Derek again and frowned. “Oh My GOD, Derek, why didn’t you at least clean them off? They are oozing! A werewolf should not OOZE!”

“I did clean them off! I’m letting them air dry!” Derek huffed.

“Okay, Laura call Deaton, he’ll deal with those. Derek call your agent. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye on your father. No idea what he might do in that car of yours!”

* * *

 

Derek rolled out of bed and startled as he saw Stiles sitting in his desk chair. “Were you hoping to catch me in a compromising position?” he teased as he tried to clear his head and wake up.

Stiles’ face was blank as his eyes narrowed on Derek’s wrists. “Ben told me what happened. BEN!”

His eyebrows flew up at Stiles’ tone. It hit him. He moved closer to his friend and placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, it was late and I should have let you know, but I went to sleep. What time is it?”

“It’s three in the afternoon. I’ve been here for an hour watching you sleep.” He raised a hand to stop Derek from commenting. “I’m not a creeper before you say anything. I was worried. You didn’t respond to any of my texts today.”

“Sorry, a bit out of it.”

Stiles moved over and gently grabbed Derek’s hands. He pulled one close and looked at the gauze on the wrists. He gently removed the one covering the burns on the right wrist. He turned it over and examined it. He opened a pack sitting next to his backpack on the floor. “Your mom gave me this. Said it might feel better coming from me.” Stiles blushed but went about redressing his wounds.

“Thank you. I’m not used to being unable to heal. It’s…discomforting.” Derek shrugged and winced as Stiles spread some cream on the wrist. “I’m not going to be able to do much for about a week.”

“I didn’t know you could ‘borrow’ power like that. I talked to Julia and she said you did something that many humans do like martial arts masters. You channeled your chi; though you did it in a way…it was confusing since there was so much wolvesbane involved.”

“We figured it doesn’t affect me like it does most wolves. Ouch!” he glared at Stiles before continuing. “But that much in constant contact along with the electrocution made it difficult for my system to handle. So I channeled everything I could to break those bonds.” Derek sagged for a moment. “Thank you.”

Stiles smiled at him. “No problem.” He chuckled and nodded towards Derek’s midsection. “I guess you are happy to see me or have me touch you.”

Derek groaned, but he knew the tent in his basketball shorts was obvious. “It’s been a few days and yes, your touch is definitely contributing.”

Finishing the right wrist, Stiles started on the left. He frowned for a second before looking Derek in the eye. “You can’t do anything about that can you?”

He shook his head. “Nope, supposed to keep them as immobile as possible. So no wrist action will be going on.”

“Sucks to be you. Stand up.” Stiles stood and motioned for Derek to do so as well. Seeing the red color his friend’s face, he chuckled. “You’re still covered, you saw me in all my glory so I don’t want to hear it. Besides, the world has seen you with less covering you.”

“Yes, but I’ve never been photographed or filmed erect. Fine!” He stood up and the tent was very pronounced. The fabric of his shorts was pulled low on his hips and he heard Stiles gasp. “What?”

“Derek, why is there a cut right above your dick?” Stiles moved closer and fingered it. In a moment he pulled Derek’s shorts down and pushed him back on the bed. Forcing the weakened werewolf to lay flat, he examined the wound. “Doesn’t look infected, but you have stubble growing in.” Stiles grabbed some of that paste he’d spread on the burns and added a few drops from another bottle. He rubbed it in and along the base of Derek’s dick.

“I insist on a dinner and movie before you move your hand any lower,” Derek commented nervously.

“Sorry, but that cut wasn’t mentioned. I was going to doctor this nasty one on your side. Before I saw that one. And how did you get that?”

Derek swallowed. “Kate threatened to remove appendages starting with that one. Since humans ‘fix’ animals as she put it.”

Stiles inhaled and the air in the room took on a slight charge before he released the breath he was holding. “I was raised in a Peace Officer’s home. I know all kinds of things, but shit like that boils my blood. What right does she have to do anything with werewolves? I mean what the fuck!”

“Stiles please calm down. Your hand is still close to some very sensitive parts of my body.”

“Sorry,” Stiles finished up and the forced Derek to stand again. He quickly cleaned the jagged cut on Derek’s side. “Okay, all better, well, not better better, but better. Can you walk or should I bring you some food?”

“How about you help me into some clothes and we go down so my family can see that I’m in one piece.” Derek smiled at Stiles as he went into his closet to find some clothes. “Thanks again.”

Stiles gave him a smile and shrugged. “I have a feeling if the roles were reversed you’d do the same for me.”

“Yes, or more.”

* * *

 

It had been two days since he’d come home from what was being called a ‘stalker attack’ in some tabloids. “I really need to fire my agent.” He stared at his phone for another moment shaking his head.

Talia sat down next to her son and looked around the library for a moment. “Still the avid reader I see.” She motioned to the side table stacked with books that had been shelved.

“Well, I’m still kind of laid up. Deaton doesn’t even want me to run tomorrow night with the full moon. First full moon since I’ve been home and I’ll miss it.”

She reached over and carded her hand through his hair. “I agree with him. I can tell you are still running low on energy. That scares me more than you think, Derek.” She lifted his left wrist and turned it over. “Your wounds are almost healed, but think about how long your recovery has been. It frightens me that you were so close to being killed.”

“I’ll recover mom. And my agent thinks this is the perfect excuse to lay low. She knew my leaving New York meant I was close to leaving the business, but having a stalker makes it easier to walk away.” Derek shrugged as he put his phone down.

“Do you want to give it up?” She kept gently running her fingers through his hair. “I know you want to write, but what are you going to do to fill your time?”

“Not teach that’s for sure. Helping that insane coach makes me even ponder wanting kids.” He placed his head on his mother’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do with my time. Everything was planned for four years. Then the summer came and I had all those travel plans; ad and photo shoots. And now…I can still have a spring shoot in the Caribbean if I want, but that is in early March. That’s six months of nothing.”  

“We have three newly turned teenage boys that need supervision. And then there is Stiles…” She chuckled at Derek’s heart rate change. “I heard John tell you about his gun collection. Do I need to have a talk with Stiles too?”

“I think Laura already did.” Derek moved to get up and winced a bit as he did. “I’ll think of something. Well, I can finally shower again so I’m going to try. Any news on the alpha?”

“No and we still don’t know anything about the other two betas. Tomorrow is the full moon.” She stood and gave Derek one of her looks. “I am going to tell Stiles to stay away tomorrow night for this full moon only. I’ll call John so he knows why. You can keep him company if you want since the pull will be stronger with all of us around.”

“Now I feel like a teenager.”

* * *

 

Derek pulled up to the high school and sighed. All his scars were gone and his energy was almost back to normal, but he could feel the moon like he hadn’t since he was thirteen. His skin felt tight and he wanted to run wild. When the newly turned came out of the building with Laura and Cora he knew they were in worse shape.

He almost jumped when Ben grabbed his shoulder. “Derek, man, those three almost got into a fight. Laura was able to get a handle on them pretty quick, but they almost wolfed out.”

Stiles came jogging up. “Hey, now I know why your mom doesn’t want me around tonight. Ben, I thought you were going with Laura?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to fill in Derek. Okay, see you later guys.”

Derek waved and motioned Stiles into the car. “Yeah, they will be on edge and dangerous tonight. Hell, I’m feeling it like I haven’t since I was a bit younger than Ben.” They took off and headed to Stiles’ house. He pulled up behind Stiles’ Jeep and pulled out his overnight bag.

Stiles led Derek to the guest room and winked. “Care to get your ass beat?”

“Two moves and you’d be begging for mercy, Stilinski.”

“Yes, but in the cyber world I am the master and you are the apprentice.”

Derek smacked his forehead and sighed. “Perhaps you should read more books and watch less junk.”

“Star Wars is not junk!” He narrowed his eyes at the werewolf.

“Okay, I agree on that, but the cheesy lines…junk.”

* * *

 

They both settled on the couch to watch Game of Thrones at Stiles’ insistence. “Dude, how have you missed this show?”

“I was in college and had a career. There wasn’t a lot of downtime since I had to you know, read for class.” Derek rolled his eyes.

Stiles rolled his eyes right back. “Dude, you have to make time for the fun stuff. You lived in New York and I bet you never went out.”

“I attended numerous parties and events thanks to my agent or David.”

“Whatever, that doesn’t count because that falls under ‘work’ or that douche made you. I have a fake ID maybe we should go out clubbing.” Stiles smiled broadly.

“You are the Sheriff’s kid. You should not have a fake ID or go clubbing.” Derek pressed play ignoring the comment about David. “I started to read this book, but I never got into it.”

Sputtering, Stiles flailed for a moment. “How can you not…” he stopped talking when Derek’s head snapped up. “What?”

Derek stood and listened while motioning for Stiles to give him a moment. “That was a howl…an alpha’s summons!” They were silent for several moments while Derek tried to listen.

Stiles heard both their phones chime at the same time. He picked his up first. “Fuck…Derek, the trio fled as soon as they heard that howl.”

Suddenly Derek looked around and grabbed Stiles and hauled him up the stairs. “Howls, several. They joined up with the alpha.” He opened his bag and pulled out a knife. “This is silver. It will only hurt them if they come. I am going to scout around. Do not leave here!”

“Wait! You can’t leave me here!”

“Stiles, there is an alpha out there with five betas. My mom has dad, Peter, Sam, and Andrew. She’d leave Laura to be with Ben and Cora. She may even leave Peter behind. Or have Deaton come. The other packs are gone with the full moon tonight. The numbers are tight and the kids will be close to feral tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll stay up here.”

Derek tossed Stiles his keys. “In case you need to flee, it handles better than yours and is faster.” He took off out the front door before he got a response.

Running down the street, Derek listened to the howls as they filled the air. The scent of fear began to grow as the howls increased. He sniffed the air and frowned. All the fear was masking his ability to pick out any wolf scents. “Damn!” He stopped and listened to the howls. They were coming from all over, echoing off buildings and hills. The sound of his mother’s howl instantly had him on guard.

Buzzing from his phone broke his concentration. “Yeah?”

“Where are you?”

“Laura, I’m in Stiles’ neighborhood.” He kept looking around as the sun dropped below the horizon. Howls began to send shivers down his arms as well. “Why?”

“The boys ran off towards the old train depot.  Mom is on her way there now with dad and Uncles Andrew and Sam. Peter and I are here in case they come back.”

Derek nodded to nothing and realized it. “I figured as much. I’ll head to the depot to help them.”

“No, stay with Stiles! Derek, you’re still weak from Kate’s attack.”

Two howls close to him made him stop. “Laura, I have to go.”

The echoes confused him, making it difficult for him to get a read on anything. A scent of a new wolf caught his attention and he took off after it. After a few minutes it abruptly vanished, but a knot in the pit of his stomach formed. In a flash, he took off back to Stiles’ house, but instantly knew something was wrong. The front door was off its hinges and the backdoor flung open.

Running through the house, he instantly caught sight of a shattered line of mountain ash. “Damn, that was fast, Stiles,” he muttered. Crossing it he picked up the scent of Stiles and the alpha.

Derek followed both scents through the trail and into a thicket. He saw Stiles throw the knife and hit the alpha on the thigh.

“I’m getting tired of this boy! My new betas will keep the Hale pack busy while I get my prize.”

Not even pausing, Derek shifted and attacked the alpha from behind. “You will NOT TOUCH HIM!” He raked his claws across the back of the alpha while kicking down at his left knee, forcing it to buckle. Using his momentum, he rolled in front and nailed the alpha in the face. “Stiles, RUN!” He didn’t wait to see if he obeyed as he turned his full attention to the alpha.

“Little Derek Hale has come to play!”

Derek roared. “You miserable piece of shit! You killed Paige! You will not kill Stiles!”

Ennis laughed as he attacked. “Still the little boy trying to be a man.” He tried to hit Derek and quickly grew frustrated as the beta evaded his attacks. “Stand and fight!”

Knowing that he wasn’t up to this, Derek got in his hits as he could and hoped Stiles got away. “Truly, who is the coward?” Derek roared. “You didn’t give them a CHOICE! You took that from them. You give truth to the lie that we are monsters!” He slid under Ennis attack and ripped the knife from the alpha’s thigh, leaving a deep cut as he did so.

The alpha screamed in pain. Turning he backhanded Derek and sent him scattering backwards. “Pathetic weak little beta. Ran and hid after his pretty little girl was too weak to accept the bite. Too weak to stand and help her. Too weak to take on an alpha. You, little boy, are weak!”

Derek took a moment to clear his head. It was too soon after Kate to gather his energy for this fight. He only had what energy he had. He ducked just in time to avoid getting clocked again and used a kick to the alpha’s back to gain some space. He turned in time to block the next three blows from Ennis. He slipped down and avoided getting stepped on. A flick of the wrist and he managed to deeply cut one of the alpha’s Achilles tendons with a claw. He went down as his leg buckled giving Derek a chance to scramble away for a second.

“For a weak boy, this beta is still standing,” Derek taunted. He ducked again as the recovering alpha came at him. Derek pivoted and slashed down with the knife and cut into one of the alpha’s biceps. He jumped away again as the alpha howled.

“You’re getting tired now. I can smell it. Then I will crush your skull and then claim the last teen. The one you actually care for. Another that you would be happy to be with and never to be. This time you’ll be dead and he’ll be my little claimed mate.”

A gunshot rang out and hit the alpha in the chest. “I will never be your bitch! But you can be a throw rug.”

Derek tried to grab the alpha as he lunged for Stiles, but the alpha bounced against another mountain ash barrier. Derek hit him in the face and jumped back. “Stiles, get out of here!”

Two more shots rang out and hit the alpha, he lunged again at the barrier and it began to give way. Derek moved back to attack and got leveled by another kick. He watched as the barrier broke and Ennis rushed at Stiles.

“Oh little lamb, it will be so much fun to break you in front of your hero and then for you to watch me kill him.” Ennis moved to bite Stiles, but got a face full of wolvesbane. “You little fucker!”

Stiles ran towards Derek and Derek jumped right over him. Ennis met the attack and they traded blows for a few moments before Ennis had him in a headlock.

He growled in Derek’s ear while staring at Stiles. “And now the first domino of the Hale Pack falls.” Derek drove the silver knife into Ennis’ groin. The alpha screamed and Derek moved as he was released and slit the throat of his longtime nemesis.  

“Derek, no!”

He looked up in time to see his mother and a whole group of wolves. Suddenly he fell to his knees and roared as his blood surged. Everything went on overload, his clothes fit too tight, and all his wounds knit together instantly. His fatigue vanished. Everything was swimming.

“Focus on my voice, son.”

Derek looked up and tried to focus on his mother. He could feel her, but the bond was different. Nothing felt the same. “What’s happening?”

“You killed an alpha.”

The words slammed into Derek. “I’m an alpha now?” His head cleared as he got up and looked at the ragged bunch of teenagers next to his family. “And that’s my pack?”

He stared at Scott, who was covered in dirt. Isaac, who was soaking wet and muddy. Jackson’s clothes were torn and had dried blood on his face. “And who are you two?”

A blonde girl stepped forward and winced since she was in the same shape as the other teenagers. “I’m Erica and that’s Boyd.” The large boy looked like he’d been mowed over as well.

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. “I…this…MOM!”

Stiles walked over and tackle-hugged Derek. “Thanks. He wanted to kill me or eat me or get me pregnant. I was never clear, but ewwww!”

All that power and emotional turmoil roiling inside Derek settled with Stiles next to him; calming everything. Before he could think, Derek smiled and placed a chaste kiss on Stiles’ lips. “You came back when I told you to run.”

“Dude, I saved your life!” Stiles smiled broadly while poking him in the chest.

“You were the target.” Derek squeezed Stiles tight. “We are going to have a long talk with our parents about you running into danger.”

“ME?” Stiles sputtered. “YOU are the one who attacked an alpha with no help!”

“BOYS!” Talia yelled. “Let’s get everyone back to the house and sort all this out.” She stared at Derek for a moment. “You may be an alpha, but I am your mother!”

Derek raised his hands in surrender. “You can have them if you want them.”

“Oh no, son,” Alex said as he patted Derek on his back. “Somehow I think this was meant to happen, well, not five teenaged turned wolves, but a life change. You know what let’s tell Laura. I’m betting she will laugh her ass off that you are stuck with a teenage pack. Looks like you’ll be dealing with teenagers for a while.”

“Don’t worry honey, we’ll start your alpha training tomorrow.” She ruffled her son’s hair. “If nothing else you’ll be the prettiest alpha around.” She walked away laughing with her husband. She walked over and motioned to the body. Sam and Andrew moved to deal with it.

Derek sighed, “This is going to be so bad!” 

Stiles hugged him again. “This is going to be awesome!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of the adventure not the end. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> This is all about the other path. What if Talia had sent Derek away after Paige died? This picks up about where Season 1 opens.


End file.
